When I was a little girl, all I wanted was a million baby dolls. Every single time I went to a toy store, I would go straight to the baby doll section.
It didn’t matter the brand or type of doll, I just wanted to build up my collection of baby dolls to play with.
Lots of little kids love dolls, and as toys have gotten more advanced, the options have become endless. Nowadays you can get dolls that cry, that need to be fed and changed and burped, that learn to talk, etc.
Dolls have dreams and aspirations, just like young kids, and children love choosing dolls they think represent them in some way.
One little girl, Sophia, was thrilled when her mom finally let her pick out a baby doll from the store as a reward for being potty trained.
When she and her mom, Brandi Benner, went to the checkout, the cashier said something that stunned both of them.
Brandi posted the interaction on Facebook, where it immediately went viral.
Within days of posting the story on her personal Facebook page, it had over 475,000 reactions and 190,000 shares.
The post said:
Nick and I told Sophia that after 1 whole month of going poop on the potty, she could pick out a special prize at Target.
She, of course, picked a new doll. The obsession is real.
While we were checking out, the cashier asked Sophia if she was going to a birthday party.
We both gave her a blank stare.
She then pointed to the doll and asked Sophia if she picked her out for a friend.
Sophia continued to stare blankly and I let the cashier know that she was a prize for Sophia being fully potty trained.
The woman gave me a puzzled look and turned to Sophia and asked, “Are you sure this is the doll you want, honey?”
Sophia finally found her voice and said, “Yes, please!”
The cashier replied, “But she doesn’t look like you. We have lots of other dolls that look more like you.”
I immediately became angry, but before I could say anything, Sophia responded with, “Yes, she does. She’s a doctor like I’m a doctor. And I’m a pretty girl and she’s a pretty girl. See her pretty hair? And see her stethoscope?”
Thankfully, the cashier decided to drop the issue and just answer, “Oh, that’s nice.”
This experience just confirmed my belief that we aren’t born with the idea that color matters.
Skin comes in different colors just like hair and eyes and every shade is beautiful.
When Brandi shared her story on the Love What Matters Facebook page, it also garnered a lot of attention.
People everywhere started sharing photos of their own children with dolls who “don’t look like them,” proving that children are much more open-minded than adults.
Carissa wrote, “Love it! This is my girl with her first American Girl doll (Melody). She loves this doll because she’s a singer. My daughter says her doll is so beautiful and her skin is brown like chocolate.”
“This is my daughter with her ‘look alike’ when she got her when we went to Radio City to see the Christmas show,” wrote Beth, “and one of the ushers told her she loved her new friend and they looked like twins. My daughter was so proud of her new doll and that comment from the usher was perfect.”
One woman, Kristen, shared a photo of her son with his two favorite dolls.
She wrote, “My son has 2 baby doll of a different race… Who cares. They are the dolls he loves and he doesn’t see color… Kids don’t see an issue with skin color unless we tell them there is one. Kids are born neutral. It’s so great. I love stories about a child’s innocence.”
Kids are truly so much more open-minded than adults — it’s such a beautiful thing. What do you think of Sophia and all of these other incredible children?
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