Paper Dolls

With a burst of energy, she cleaned out a cranny where she had stored some odds and ends. These were keepsakes several years old. At the time they were put away, they were just too precious to discard. But now, they evoked little emotion. With vigor, she filled the trash can. And then…

She came to a collection of paper dolls. She gently pulled them out and looked at each set. She even tried some clothes on some of the dolls. All of sudden, she noticed that I was watching her.

Much too quickly, she chattered, “I got this set when I was in the first grade. I remember taking them to school one day. And this set, I cut out all the clothes, but never played with the dolls. They look brand new. And do you remember these Brownie dolls. I had forgotten all about them.

“Really, these dolls are much too good to throw away. Surely there is some little girl that would like to have them, play with them. Let me see, who can I give them to?”

I left her to ponder a choice and to reminisce. For surely, each doll brought to her mind the many pleasurable hours of play.

Later, she came to me. The dolls were packed to give away. Wistfully, she said, “I’ll never play paper dolls again.” She thought a minute; and almost as an afterthought, she added, “That is, I’ll never play again until I have a little girl and I play with her when she plays with hers.”

We all know that our children grow continuously, constantly. We are very much aware of their growth at those times when we must replace clothes and shoes with larger sizes. But in a moment like this one, we realize that she will never be a “little girl” again. Her paper doll days are gone forever.

1974