Let’s admitted it…we all had them. I remember opening a new American Girl doll and being able to get a new set of accessories, all tailored to a specific time period and girl. They easily became my favorite present. I can’t pinpoint one reason as to why I liked them so much. Maybe it was because they were all 10 years old, which wasn’t far from my age at the time? Or maybe it was being able to discover different fashions that represented a vast array of time periods I could only dream about? Or maybe it was their stories?
Each American Girl came with their own exciting, fun, serious, and reflective story. There was something exciting about getting to explore a new doll’s story and historical time period. However, I fear this may be forgotten about today. As “smart toys” take over the dolls, trucks, and Legos of the past, it is important for us to remember what we learned from our beloved American Girls.
1. Put others before yourself.
The lives we live today could not be more different than the life Kaya would have lived in 1764. However, the need to put others before ourselves transcends time periods. Kaya’s greatest lesson came when she neglected to watch her brother for a short period of time, in order to race her horse against the boys. The consequences and shame that came with losing her brother, no matter how briefly it may have been, taught Kaya that there is a time to do something for yourself and a time to do something for others.
2. Think for yourself.
After that crazy election year, we are no strangers to political disputes erupting among friends, family, and internet commenters. Rewind to 1774 and ten-year-old Felicity is experiencing something very similar. Felicity’s family and neighbors often find themselves in disputes over whether or not the colonies should remain in England’s control. When it comes time to pick a side Felicity’s friend Elizabeth claims to be a Loyalist do to her father’s beliefs. However, Felicity is unsure as to what side she belongs to (her family has both Loyalists and patriots). Felicity’s mother reminds her that the only one who can decided what you believe in is you. This is something Felicity teaches us as she navigates her ever changing world.
3. You can always find light in the dark.
Josefina suffered one of the most tragic events that could happen in a young girl’s life: the death of her mother. Josefina longs for nothing to change and wants everything to remain the same. Her sisters and aunt show Josefina that if you let darkness stay in your life it will swallow you whole. Her aunt looks to bring Josefina light and happiness by showing Josefina how her father’s ranchero goes on and life should be celebrated. And by celebrating life Josefina not only finds happiness again, but she overcomes her fear of goats.
4. Try something new, even if it’s terrifying.
I think at this point in our lives most of us can relate to Kirsten’s story of trying something new even if it scares us. Now of course, Kirsten’s story was much different, as she left Sweden with her family to arrive in a new country where her family knows very little about the culture or language and struggles to make ends meet. However, her spirit of being able to accept America as her home and start immersing herself in the world around her is something to admire. We all experienced being pushed out of our comfort zones. Just think about coming to Siena. Many of us were probably nervous we wouldn’t fit in or that we would be homesick. hat all changed though, because once we began to acquaint ourselves with Siena culture by participating in orientation and joining clubs, we felt like we belonged. Kirsten teaches us to make that leap and embrace the fall.
5. Be resilient.
Nobody had a more heart-breaking or more intense story than Addy. Addy’s book series focused on her escape from slavery and her struggle to adjust to life in the North. We are reminded through her courage and tenacity to never stop fighting for anything you want.
6. Stand up for what is right, even if no one else is.
To think that only a 100 years ago the ladies of Her Campus and myself wouldn’t have been able to vote. Well, Samantha and her new aunt Cornelia looked to change that by becoming suffragettes, as well as speaking out against dangerous factory conditions that Samantha’s friend Nellie faced. Samantha pushed to expose the harsh conditions that American children faced in factories, even when everyone else was applauding the industrialization. This serves as a lesson for us today, that if you see an injustice or something wrong, don’t hesitate to say something.
7. Change happens regardless of whether or not we want it to.
At the time of the Great Depression, Kit and her family showed us just how hard change can be. Kit finds herself having to say good-bye to her father as he leaves Cincinnati to find a job and her house soon fills up with borders of all kinds. At first, Kit, like many of us, was reluctant to change pushing way those who were new and wanted to befriend her. But Kit soon learned that by embracing change, she was able to not only help those who board at her her house through difficult times, but help herself grow (and become an awesome journalist). We all should embrace change even if it scares us. There is a good chance that we will survive and grow from it.
8. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices for our families and communities.
The word sacrifice surely has a lot of weight to it and one American Girl, Molly, shows just how difficult it is to have to give up little daily pleasures such as chocolate and butter, or something as big as her father in World War II America. While today, we may not be in the same wartime situation as Molly, we still have to sacrifice things we don’t want to. It can be something as simple as having to spend time doing homework rather than going out, or something as big as not being able to go on an expensive trip in order to save up money for the future. We also learn we are not alone in having to sacrifice certain things. For example, Molly unites with her friends and neighbors as they lose the people and things they hold dear in order to support the war effort.
9. Girls can do anything!
There is not a better illustration of this lesson than Julie’s stories. Julie is a ten-year-old girl growing up in the 1970s, where women and girls are being allowed more opportunities in not only sports but the work force as well. Julie’s fight to get a girls’ basketball team at her school personifies how we can achieve anything we want as long as we put our minds to it.
So move over “smart toys,” because this generation will not be letting go of their American Girls anytime soon.