Ethan Switch - Wednesday, 24 September 2003
Expected to hit the trauma kits for children too young to understand, My Mommy Doll. A doll crafted with the likeness of a parent and equipped with the voice of said missing guardian.
Created from the minds of Chrysa Alexander and Cathleen Parascandola, her sister, the doll was inspired by custody visits when Alexander had to spend quality time away from her children but did not want them to forget her voice or what she looked like. "Separation, regardless of the circumstances, is always difficult on young children and on parents," says Alexander, president of My Mommy Doll, LLC. "We recognize the value for all parents to 'be there for their child' no matter what."
Good intentions aside, the best use out of this would be for one party in custody battles to flood the mind of the already distraught child with voice messages from the other parent. In effect the child will come to learn that the doll and the actual parent are one and the same and perhaps may just end up paying regular visits to a psychiatrist.