It's kind of hard to imagine, isn't it? Your kids are texting madly on the cell phone that's just expensive as yours and when they're not on their phone, they typically want to watch TV or play video games.
Oh, but the Wii and the other movement detecting gaming systems have solved that.
At least they're standing up, right? But it's hard to imagine them turning around and playing with dolls once they hit their pre-teen stage.
Well, at least not Barbie.
Believe it or not, there are some dolls they may really enjoy having.
They just may not be Bratz dolls, which are actually most loved by kids under ten.
Bratz Dolls Controversy Bratz dolls were huge before 2007.
They were different.
They were hip.
they loved fashion, make up, accessories, having really long hair, and, well, general behaviors that one would say may make them true brats, depending on how you see things.
Then it got a little weird.
Parents began to feel concerned and the American Psychological Association even got involved.
The concerns were regarding the adult sexualization of the dolls, and the fact that they were being played with by four to eight year old kids.
Big kids weren't playing with them.
Little kids were.
Big kids aren't as interested in Bratz dolls because they don't find their personalities interesting.
The fact that they released Baby Bratz really proved that they were not trying to aim for an older age group at all.
While it may be okay for pre-teens to play with the Bratz dolls because they are able to separate their perceptions of themselves and the dolls better, pre-teens are typically not interested in baby dolls at all anymore, and they weren't even asking for the original Bratz.
How Do Children Perceive Their Dolls? Parents had to ask themselves whether or not they would be comfortable if one day their young daughters asked them to buy some fishnet stockings for them or they walked out of their rooms with bikini tops and jeans thinking they were dressed for the mall.
But, is that what dolls are about? Do kids try to be like the dolls or do they just like playing with them? It really may depend on the child, but it did make parents uncomfortable.
The problem may have been that these dolls could have had greater success had they been marketed, and made a little differently, for an older age group.
They also could have had more unique and admirable personalities.
Instead, Bratz has simply changed the dolls to make them more suitable for their originally intended market, and all is fine these days.
But there are some dolls that really would make a better fit for older kids.
Monster High Dolls Monster High dolls do have short skirts, and one of them does wear fishnets.
But, guess what? It's okay because they're monsters! And more importantly, they're marketed for older kids.
They are tied to a cartoon that kids can watch online, and it has been a huge hit.
The show began in May 2010 and the dolls were released in July 2010, so they have quickly sold out and the manufacturers are still trying to recover from that.
Justin Bieber Dolls Bieber Fever is rampant, and this doll is yet another item fans are going wild about.
Actually, the manufacturers are doing this right as a whole line of dolls is being released and two of them sing clips of his top two hits.
This is another kind of doll that older kids, even adults, would love to have, depending on their music taste of course.