What would you prefer she do op? Use drugs, hang with boys, run away?

I think middle schoolers should still have recess!

Anonymous wrote:My 13 DD still plays with her toys (action figures) and I am so glad she’s not ready for the older kid stuff yet. There is so much time to get into teen stuff.

Absolutely. Plenty of time later to do teen stuff. Why the hurry anyway, I thought the general consensus was that being a teen sucks anyway, no need to rush it.

Anonymous wrote:My 12 year old still plays with Barbies. I think it's fine. I'd rather her do something like that than be glued to a phone for hours on end.

Same! And I've talked to other moms, their 7th graders still play with Barbies too. The girls would never play Barbies together though!!

My 13 DD still plays with her toys (action figures) and I am so glad she’s not ready for the older kid stuff yet. There is so much time to get into teen stuff.

Her kids be kids as long as they can. Childhood is way too short.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a bizarre question. What would you rather she do? Hair and makeup? Instagram and snapchat? Get a grip, OP, and let your child be a child.

What a bizarre response. You know what would be better? Understanding that parents are seeing a lot of kids act differently and reasonably concerned that their children aren't where they should be developmentally. You can give someone a kind reality check without being harsh. Get a grip, PP.

What exactly isn't developmentally appropriate about an 11 year old acting like a kid?

Nothing, fool. She was just asking.

What's not developmentally appropriate is a presumably grown adult thinking that parents should always have all of the answers and need to be insulted for soliciting opinions.

No need to call me a fool, I was asking a question because op made it sound like there is something wrong with an 11 year old playing with dolls.

I wouldn’t worry about this at all. Some girls (and boys) become “teenager-y” earlier than others. Later is better, IMHO. The differences are VERY pronounced during the middle school years and then fade away by high school, more or less.

At 11, it's completely okay.

My younger sister was still into playing with toys, cartoons, and going to fun playgrounds until 14-15. She wasn't really into teen things and she's a functional successful career-driven adult now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a bizarre question. What would you rather she do? Hair and makeup? Instagram and snapchat? Get a grip, OP, and let your child be a child.

What a bizarre response. You know what would be better? Understanding that parents are seeing a lot of kids act differently and reasonably concerned that their children aren't where they should be developmentally. You can give someone a kind reality check without being harsh. Get a grip, PP.

What exactly isn't developmentally appropriate about an 11 year old acting like a kid?

Nothing, fool. She was just asking.

What's not developmentally appropriate is a presumably grown adult thinking that parents should always have all of the answers and need to be insulted for soliciting opinions.

Even in 8th grade, my daughter and her friends go back and forth between being teens and little kids. My daughter had gotten rid of most of her stuffed animals, but this summer got a stuffed monkey she named “Abu” and loves to sleep with it. I took three 13 year olds to a playground recently where they thought they would spend 5-10 minutes recreating some dumb video they had seen. They ended up wanting to play, and I dragged them away after an hour because we had to go. My daughter and her best friend pretended they were mermaids in the ocean at the beach over Labor Day weekend. I love this age and how they go back and forth.

Anonymous wrote: I think it’s great that your DD still loves playing with dolls. My DD stopped playing around that age but now at 16 wants to become a doll collector and is planning on spending some money on new dolls to grow her collection.

My mom has loved dolls her whole life. Now in her 70s, she is a doll collector.