My husband loves everything about having a daughter except for one thing playing with dolls. Hell play checkers and Candyland(R) for hours. On any day with just a hint of sun, hes delighted to take my daughter out to play catch, or softball or soccer. He just doesnt want to play dolls.

Some of this has to do with size. My husbands hands are well suited for power tools and hammers. He can easily build a fence or porch. But those same hands fumble with doll clothes buttons the size of sequins.

It also has to do with rules. My husband likes to play games with rules. My daughter likes to play elaborate role-playing games that often start off with her announcement, Heres the mommy doll, heres the daddy doll, heres the baby doll, heres the big sister doll and theyre all getting ready to go to a party. She acts as a director, telling my husband what she wants the dolls to do.

My daughters fantasy games include lots of dressing up and going to fancy balls. The doll games have no rules, theres just endless talking, changing clothes, and going to parties. It sounds good to me. My husband has tried to play these games, he really has, but he has a hard time understanding games where nothing much happens except lots of accessorizing.

And he cant understand the need for so many doll clothes. Each doll has an enormous wardrobe. After all, you need many different ball gowns and clothes for going out after the ball and clothes to wear at the beach and clothes to wear going to the beach Try explaining that to my husband who still cant figure out why I have more than three pairs of shoes. And then each doll comes with so many things. They have boats and cars and motorcycles. One of my daughters dolls even has a stretch limousine with a tiny television in the back. She has asked me to buy the doll hotel that comes with a disco dance floor. I had to explain that our house isnt zoned for something that large.

My daughters favorite dolls to play with now are smaller than my husbands thumb. She has a whole village of them. These tiny dolls wear rubber clothes. Rubber clothes? Its certainly a sight to watch my husband struggle to put miniscule rubber pants on a tiny plastic doll.

The dolls rubber shoes are smaller than my pinkie fingernail. You can imagine how many shoes we lose every time we play with them. I dont mind losing them so much, I just worry that one of the cats is going to snort one up its nose when it sniffs at them. Thats one vet visit Id rather not go to.

In an attempt to avoid playing with dolls, my husband got some cars and trucks for my daughter to play with. She wasnt quite sure what to do. Then she smiled and said, Heres the mommy truck, heres the daddy truck, heres the baby truck, heres the big sister truck and theyre all getting ready to go to a party. At least he didnt have to worry about tiny rubber shoes.