Good-bye Dolly

Came across my old doll the other day. Yes, doll singular. I had only one doll. Her name was Belinda and Belinda, although rather worn in spots and the rubber bands that hold her arms and legs and allow them to move, are much stretched. Resting on the bodice of her little dress of red and white gingham is a gold filled locket with a picture of Mother and Father inside. Belinda's eyes continue to open when she is up and close when she is lying down. The paint on her bisque body has faded and is marred here and there but she remains my "baby doll". She is formed as a  three-quarter-size new born. But her shape is that of a healthy six month old. She arrived one Christmas, and from that one on, each winter holiday, there were prams, cribs and small furnishings including a sofa and chair built by my mother. My sister and I had identical dolls we truly loved. Hours on end we played with our bisque babies. In that time, many girls had more dolls than one, but they were all of the baby kind.  With our dolls we imitated mothers we knew and gave our babies all the same maternal attentions. We changed their diapers, pretended to bathe them carefully, dressed them for bed and rising and allowed them naps and took them for rides in their buggies. We carried them like babies ought to be and at times, tried to teach our dolls to walk. We read them stories and had them visit other dolls for tea. We attempted to feed them. It didn't help their hollow insides when we gave them bottles filled with water.  Soon learning what a mess it made, we settled for imaginary food and drink for our charges. Today's dolls are most often adults and dress as such.  Barbies go places and do things.  My grand daughters had numerous wardrobes and their Barbies enjoyed racks of elegant party dresses. Their hair was curled and their shoes and jewelry selected. Little girls today have put aside baby care and entered the world of fashion. Questions are no longer, how do you put on a baby sweater but are now, what does a woman wear for her date with the male doll? What dress is appropriate for each occasion and what accessories match and are suitable?  Dolls skate and shop, ride horses and go water skiing. They attend rock concerts and debutante balls and get married any old day they wish. They have a bevy of bridal gowns. What they wear becomes the most important aspect of playing dolls. The child becomes a dresser and not a mother to her doll. I wonder when this happened and why? Is it a good thing or not?  The pattern has changed. Young women take courses in babysitting to learn baby care. In our day, it was modeled by mothers around us. Times have changed and the days of Belindas are over. Bye-bye dolly.