[Desdemona]

I never played with dolls as a kid -- I have a nice collection of Major Matt Mason space toys, collected because the nuns told me that girls could never be astronauts, only mommies, teachers, nurses and if they were too stupid to go to university, secretaries (all of this 'until you marry'). But my oldest boy had a "Ginny" doll until he was 4 or 5, a 'little girl' doll from the 1950s that he carried in his backpack and called 'my friend'.

Well, we had dolls. And a dress up box and a playhouse that my dad built. My brothers had Tonka, Lego and things they threw out of second story windows with parachutes.

The teachers (not all nuns) told us we could be whatever we wanted to be and all I wanted to be then - and now - is a mother. Opera comes a close second.

[KateatRFM]

My sisters had plenty of dolls and they enjoyed playing with them -- and together we played ice hockey, rode bicycles and played astronauts with my Sears Planetarium; and my youngest sister formed her troll collection into the Mormon Tabernacle Choir with hand made gowns and tuxedos. We also gave the trolls rides in the Major Matt Mason Lunar Walker, which, if you reverse the batteries, will walk backwards.

We all became mothers and reared well balanced children and none of us cheer for the Pink Power Ranger who we consider a sissy.