Rock-a-bye Baby
I’ve got a small suggestion that may help temper the cold-hearted callousness in this world. The solution involves a politically incorrect baby doll.
I say it’s incorrect because a baby doll immediately transforms children into role-playing along gender lines – and that upsets many. But when you see a little girl in your kindergarten class who is yelled at and hit at home, sit in a little chair and sing to a plastic doll, you’ll change your mind. She and the other girls discuss who will keep the baby while they go to work as astronauts and artists, then a boy will walk over and say, “I’ll be the Daddy, and I’ll keep him.” The girl looks happy he’s playing along, but then adds, “Ok – but it’s a girl.” They laugh as their open-ended imaginative play builds problem solving and communication skills, and tenderhearted compassion grows like kudzu in July.
We used to take care of each other. Children, old folks, neighbors and strangers – we watched out for everyone, and children saw us model compassion. But now, the media depicts nothing but harsh contempt for other humans. News of a car plowing into a festive crowd, or someone punching strangers in the face for no reason, or a mother killing her own children is overwhelming for adults to comprehend, and soul-shattering for children who hear and see it.
Children used to play with dolls up until the age of 12 or 13. Now, by the time they are 5, they have so many video and phone accessories; a non-electronic toy seems dull.
Although sales of baby dolls have fallen, the actual revenue for the doll industry has increased, due to the higher cost and collectability of the newer dolls, purchased by adults who the industry has dubbed “Kidults.” These dolls sport purple hair, ripped jeans, curvy figures and bare bellies. They look like they need to be grounded for sneaking out past curfew, not snuggled.
The last cuddly dolls I can remember were the Cabbage Patch Dolls from the BabyLand General Hospital in Cleveland, GA. I think it’s still open, but few little girls know what they are unless they’ve seen their mom’s chubby doll still sitting on the guest room bed at Grandma’s house.
This Christmas, when giving gifts to children you know, and even when donating to those you’ve never met, why not consider the sweet gift of a doll? You’ll be surprised how tricky it is to find a cuddly baby doll amongst the groovy hipster dolls (try looking in the Cabbage Patch). But don’t give up – putting a cherub-faced baby in the arms of a child may be the source of tenderness they need in their lives. Who knows? It may be the very thing that turns them into caring, compassionate adults. And don’t we need more of those in our world?
This story first appeared in Lagniappe News, Mobile, Alabama.
If you are in the Mobile, Alabama area, I’d love for you to join me as I tell the true story of a very special doll, in my book, Bringing Christmas Home, at the new Barnes and Noble in Mobile. Beginnng after church, at 12noon, Sunday, November 8, 2026.
