Young-minded kid?

[buddscreekman]

We recently had a friend point out that they thought our youngest daughter is "weird". That because she is 11,it is no longer age appropriate for her to be obsessed with Tangled,and play with barbies,dollhouses,play-doh and general kid things. This friends kid is the same age and has two cell phones,an ipod,and so forth,and wouldn't be caught dead playing with any sort of toys. At first it pissed me off,then it made me wonder. I've always explained her preferences as simply being "young-minded" because she is. She likes younger type things than her peers. I feel she is right and they are all wrong. That kids now grow up way too fast and I like it that my little girl is upstairs playing barbies and setting up her dollhouses and not on the phone yapping about boys or whining about needing a new cd. And yet when I look in stores,indeed the "age limits" on the toys she likes are younger. So do I have a stunted kid or is she just keeping a child's pace in an increasingly adult world?

 

[RoseRed]

We recently had a friend point out that they thought our youngest daughter is "weird". That because she is 11,it is no longer age appropriate for her to be obsessed with Tangled,and play with barbies,dollhouses,play-doh and general kid things. This friends kid is the same age and has two cell phones,an ipod,and so forth,and wouldn't be caught dead playing with any sort of toys. At first it pissed me off,then it made me wonder. I've always explained her preferences as simply being "young-minded" because she is. She likes younger type things than her peers. I feel she is right and they are all wrong. That kids now grow up way too fast and I like it that my little girl is upstairs playing barbies and setting up her dollhouses and not on the phone yapping about boys or whining about needing a new cd. And yet when I look in stores,indeed the "age limits" on the toys she likes are younger. So do I have a stunted kid or is she just keeping a child's pace in an increasingly adult world?

Let her stay a kid as long as possible!

 

[buddscreekman]

Let her stay a kid as long as possible!

That's what I say! I painted her room pink and hung up her disney princess posters last week and thought wow...I lucked out with this one. No boys,no phones,no worries! I guess I was just feeling unsure.No one likes to be criticized as a parent and when I look at her peers,I do see a difference. Which I like.

 

[RoseRed]

That's what I say! I painted her room pink and hung up her disney princess posters last week and thought wow...I lucked out with this one. No boys,no phones,no worries! I guess I was just feeling unsure.No one likes to be criticized as a parent and when I look at her peers,I do see a difference. Which I like.

Enjoy it while you can.

 

[Roman]

That's what I say! I painted her room pink and hung up her disney princess posters last week and thought wow...I lucked out with this one. No boys,no phones,no worries! I guess I was just feeling unsure.No one likes to be criticized as a parent and when I look at her peers,I do see a difference. Which I like.

Don't worry, you are being a good Parent, and she is being a Normal Child. She'll grow up soon enough. Enjoy her Childhood.

 

[vraiblonde]

Geez, I'm 47 and still love Barbies and Tangled.

I don't think your daughter is weird at all, and I think the friend is feeling uncomfortable that their kid is the weirdo, otherwise there was no reason to make a judgment about your kid.

 

[Bann]

I agree with Rose, Roman & Vrai! I wouldn't worry about it, either. Let her be who she is and ignore the other parent. Vrai's right - they're trying to justify allowing their own daughter's behavior.

And I think 11 is too young to be obsessed with boys. Good grief!

 

[lil84]

i think u can be very happy she is still loves her barbies and all that more than the "teen/grown up stuff" i bet your husband is very pleased about that as well ..... i think some of the kids should cut back on trying to be so grown and enjoy being kids! and i love barbies and tangles too and LOVE that my little one is all into that

 

[musiclady]

My girl is 10 and still loves Webkinz and Littlest Pet shop. Unfortunately her "friends", who last year played these enthusiastically with her, are now teasing her for playing with "baby toys." Amazing what one summer will do. So far she's holding out from peer pressure.

Don't worry, yours is fine.

 

[buddscreekman]

She is the sweetest kid you could ever meet,and like you musiclady she is finding the gap between her and her "friends" growing by the day. Girls now even at her age 11 dress like hookers and act like older teenagers. Sucks to be them I guess. I'm not going to let it get to me anymore though now that I've heard from you all. My girl is on the right track. Thanks everybody

 

[twinoaks207]

Definitely agree with all who are saying "let her be a kid". She's approaching the age where she'll bounce back & forth between Barbies & boys. When that gets here, don't sweat it, as it's normal. They do that to find their way. Some days they want to act "older" and some days they need the comfort of childish things. Just enjoy her & make sure that she knows that you are there for her whenever she needs you to be there.

They grow up way too fast!

(Now, if she's still playing with those toys at age 16-18, you can worry then! )

 

[StrawberryGal]

She's very normal. Who cares if she is still playing with Barbies at 11 years old? It sounds like your daughter is very smart to know to enjoy her childhood before becoming a teenager.

 

[Baja28]

i think u can be very happy she is still loves her barbies and all that more than the "teen/grown up stuff" i bet your husband is very pleased about that as well ..... i think some of the kids should cut back on trying to be so grown and enjoy being kids! and i love barbies and tangles too and LOVE that my little one is all into that

I don't think BuddscreekMAN has a husband.

 

[buddscreekman]

I don't think BuddscreekMAN has a husband.

Maybe I do! You askin'?

 

[Baja28]

Maybe I do! You askin'?

And if you're that "way", you stay on your side of the "creek".

 

[onebdzee]

Geez, I'm 47 and still love Barbies and Tangled.

I don't think your daughter is weird at all, and I think the friend is feeling uncomfortable that their kid is the weirdo, otherwise there was no reason to make a judgment about your kid.

I would like to state for the record that my 26, 23, and 21 year olds STILL play with their matchbox/hotwheels cars and the legos with or without Zman(who still plays with this stuff, also at 13)

the girl still, at 18, has her Barbies on her dresser and her Lion King, Cinderella, and Snow White posters(and all the Disney characters that I cross-stitched) are still hanging on her walls.

I agree with all the others on here...life it WAY to short, let her be a kid as long as she will let you

 

[sockgirl77]

Make sure to bring this convo up in 3 years when their daughter is knocked up and yours is still being a kid.

 

[Speedy70]

We recently had a friend point out that they thought our youngest daughter is "weird". That because she is 11,it is no longer age appropriate for her to be obsessed with Tangled,and play with barbies,dollhouses,play-doh and general kid things. This friends kid is the same age and has two cell phones,an ipod,and so forth,and wouldn't be caught dead playing with any sort of toys. At first it pissed me off,then it made me wonder. I've always explained her preferences as simply being "young-minded" because she is. She likes younger type things than her peers. I feel she is right and they are all wrong. That kids now grow up way too fast and I like it that my little girl is upstairs playing barbies and setting up her dollhouses and not on the phone yapping about boys or whining about needing a new cd. And yet when I look in stores,indeed the "age limits" on the toys she likes are younger. So do I have a stunted kid or is she just keeping a child's pace in an increasingly adult world?

It sounds like you need to find new friends. How horrible for a supposed friend to say that to you. There is nothing wrong with your daughter. She is 11 for heaven's sake!

 

[drivingdaisy]

As long is she is still able to socialize with her peers what she is interested in is fine. You might want to watch to see if she is still able to talk and find some similar interests with other kids her age... not because what she likes isn't ok, but to help give her the social skills she will definately need if other children think she is a little different. If she can have confidence when around her peers and can still be friends with them besides their differences, hopefully she will be less likely to be teased or become a target of bullying.

And what your friend said is terrible. Now, if the parent knew that many other classmates or friends felt this way, hopefully the parent would have spoken to their child about how its ok to be different and then it would have been ok to share concern with you because of possible alienation from her friends/classmates. But not just because they think its weird.

Maybe your daughter will grow up to help make/design wonderful children's toys.

 

[Cheeky1]

Good on you. That's all I've got to say.

:highfive: