or One of Her Friends
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| "Barbie" and some of the clothes I made for her. |
When I was growing up, I had toys. I
had dolls and stuffed animals. I had a bike and a tree swing. And I
had the ever important sticks and rocks. But I didn't have any of the
TV or popular toys. That was until my older sister got one for her
birthday from a friend. She got a Barbie. I was only four at the
time, but I understood the importance of this doll. There was status
associated with having a Barbie.
It was my older sister's doll for a
long time until it eventually got passed down to me. I loved “my”
Barbie. Many hours were spent playing with this grown up doll.
However, eventually “my” Barbie became my younger sister's
Barbie. That was okay with me because I understood that she was a
family toy.
So recently when my mother was cleaning
up and found Barbie, I was thrilled that none of my sister's wanted
her. They said I could have her. However, they told me she wasn't
Barbie. She was Midge, Barbie's friend. No, that couldn't be. I made
them prove it to me and they were right. All of these years when I
thought I had a Barbie, I only had her friend. It shouldn't have a
difference, but it did. I felt like I had come in second place when
only the first place got a prize.
My reaction surprised me that something
so long ago of very little consequence still meant a lot to me. But I
guess some things never change. We all want to fit in one way or
another and having a Barbie made me feel like I fit in in an
important way. As an adult, I can convince my grownup self that
things don't matter--actions do. However, my young self still wishes
that I had had Barbie and not just her friend.
I had a friend that grew up next to the real Ken and Barbie. The real Ken and Barbie were nice and no, the real Barbie did not look like the Barbie doll. I knew that you would be interested in this tidbit. This story is almost as interesting as the time I met one of the Pips of Gladys Knight and the Pips. I'll tell you that another time.
I had Midge and my older sister had Barbie. I think I was just too young to have an opinion on which was better. I eventually swapped my Midge for a Twist and Turn Barbie, which I still have, along with the clothes that my mom made for her, and the case. My daughters used to play with her when they were little, too. And now she waits for a granddaughter to come along someday.
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