Need a Hobby?

"Veronika, are you busy?" Charlotte asked.

Veronika looked up from the fabrics she was getting ready to cut. "Do you need something, Charlotte?" she asked. "I was just getting ready to cut some fabrics. I have to fix this rotary cutter first, because it's set for dolls who are right-handed, but I can take a break and chat, if you like."

"I do have a question," Charlotte replied. "Can you explain what a hobby is?"

"It's something you do for fun," Veronika said. "Like people, dolls usually have at least one hobby. It isn't something you do because you have to but because you like it."
"You mean like how you like to quilt?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes," Veronika agreed. We all have hobbies. "Mandy likes to knit, for instance."

"She's good at it, too," Charlotte agreed.
"That's part of why she thinks it's fun," Veronika explained, "although when she finds a mistake, she is unhappy."

"But she fixes her mistake, and then she's happy again," Veronika went on. "It's fun to solve problems, and it's fun to work at something that might be hard to do and then get it right."

"Jolena likes to ski," Charlotte said. "I guess that's her hobby."

"Yes," Veronika agreed. She skis and does tricks on her skis, but she also likes to dance, and that helps her with the tricks she does."
"I've seen Jolena practicing dance," Charlotte said.

"Then there's Mariah," Veronika went on. "She likes to write."

"Yes," agreed Charlotte. "She wrote me that lovely poem for my birthday."

"She spent a lot of time thinking about it, too," Veronika said.

"Now Billy has found something he likes to do for fun," Veronika said. "He likes to take photos."

"Then he likes to use the computer to make the photos look better," Charlotte agreed, "and I've seen him watching lessons on the computer to learn how to take better photos. His photos are very nice to look at."

"I remember," Charlotte continued, "when I first started trying to play the violin, everyone said it hurt their ears, and they wanted me to stop."

"I remember that," Veronika said. "You were discouraged at first, but then you got better, and now you even make up your own music to play."

"So if a hobby is something you do because you think it's fun," Charlotte said, "I wonder why Tanya doesn't like to practice. Tanya is in my violin class. She told me she doesn't practice, because playing the violin is just a hobby. You can never make money at it. She says it's a hobby, but she doesn't seem to like it much."

Veronika thought for a moment. "Why would someone say that they didn't want to practice because it's just a hobby?" she asked. "A hobby is something you do because you like to do it."

"I wonder," Charlotte said, "if it's just an excuse for not practicing. Maybe playing the violin isn't her hobby at all," she suggested. "Maybe it's someone else's idea of what she should be learning."

"That's too bad," Veronika said. "If she practiced, she might find out that it's fun. Children should try different things for hobbies. That way, they find out what they like to do, and sometimes it leads them to a job they like when they grow up, or it starts them on a hobby that will make them happy in their free time."

"Children are usually too busy playing," said Charlotte.
"Charlotte, for children, play is their work," Veronika explained. "Play is learning and practicing what they will need to be able do when they grow up, but it's also fun. If children enjoy doing something when they play, they may also enjoy doing it when they grow up. If it's something they have to do, it's wonderful if they still enjoy it. Grownups need to have fun, too."

"What kinds of hobbies do grownup people like?" Charlotte asked.
"Grownups like the same kinds of things that children like to do for fun," Veronika said. "They play cards or board games. They play sports or dance. Maybe they build things. They might draw or paint or knit or sew. Many adults like to collect something, like plates or stamps or even...dolls!"
The dolls found that shocking to think about.

"One more thing you should know, Charlotte," Veronika added. "This is something you can tell Tanya. Some grownups even make money playing the violin, but they have to practice and be very good at it."

Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London

Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz or Classic Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to a charity that supports pediatric cancer, such as CURE Childhood Cancer or St. Baldrick's Foundation
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 2:00 PM Pacific Time.

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Copyright © 2019 by Peggy Stuart