When I was in elementary school, there was one thing I wanted more than anything: an American Girl doll. Specifically, I wanted Kirsten, with her blonde hair and blue eyes just like mine. I loved reading the American Girl books, not just Kirsten’s stories, but all of the girls’ stories. Unfortunately, I never got a doll of my own. My mom always said they were just too expensive for a doll. As a single mom working in a male-dominated field in the early ’90s, she also believed in showing me that girls and women could do anything, even if it meant breaking away from traditional expectations. Of course, at eight years old, I wasn’t particularly interested in that life lesson. I just really, really wanted a Kirsten doll! I spent years wishing for one and loved visiting friends who had them, where I could happily play for hours.
Fast-forward a few decades, and my childhood dream has taken on a sweet new twist. This past winter, my best friend passed along her old American Girl doll, Molly, to my daughter, Winter. A couple of Winter’s friends have hand-me-down American Girl dolls, too, and it has been so much fun watching the girls play together, creating elaborate stories and adventures for their dolls. Molly has become quite the little traveler, often coming along on family trips or even joining us for everyday errands.
Watching Winter play with Molly brings back so many happy memories of my own childhood. We’ve even started reading the American Girl books together! Molly’s stories take place during World War II, and just before we started the final book in the series, Winter commented that she hoped she would get to read about Molly not being in the war. (Spoiler alert: the final book is about Molly’s dad coming home and the end of World War II!)
There is something so special about getting to revisit a piece of your own childhood through your child’s eyes. I may never have gotten my own American Girl doll, but somehow, all these years later, I get to share the magic of Molly with Winter. And honestly? That feels pretty wonderful.
-Monica Benjamin is a nurse practitioner at Porter Pediatrics in Middlebury.