Over time, people have shared reflections on the ways Lela Dolls have moved through their homes, classrooms, routines, and relationships.

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"A Calmness We Had Never Witnessed"

Two years ago, our son Kyah was gifted a doll. Alfa had noticed Kyah’s silent connection with a beautiful doll set on a wooden bench. Before we left, she secured permission from her mother (Genet, the wonderful artist behind the dolls) for Kyah to choose one of three dolls.

All the dolls were named Lela, but our dear Kyah, who is autistic, gave them special names of his own. He named them "Flower", "Piano", and "Lela" while playing with them. When it came time to choose, he reached out through the car window and took the one doll that retained the original name, Lela.

With Kyah in the back seat of the car, I grew emotional watching him through the rearview mirror. I noticed Kyah’s quiet attachment to the doll. Kyah, who had just turned seven, was usually boisterous on car rides; we had never seen him sit still or show gentleness. But something solemn seemed present on this ride home. A calmness we had never witnessed. Little did I know that Lela would be embarking on a transformative journey with us, a journey that would become a beautiful landmark in the evolution of our thunderbolt, Kyah.

That night, he told her a story and tucked her into bed, whispering softly to the rest of us that she was sleeping, and asking us to speak quietly.

From that day, Lela went everywhere with Kyah. She travelled back to Chennai with us. She was the first thing he asked for once we touched down. He offered her food, woke her up in the morning, propped her on the couch beside him, and shared his books with her.

Soon, he wanted to care for her independently and even asked for help reading so he could read to her himself. Lela became his companion in learning and - with her poised on his lap - he soon began practicing reading aloud. 

One evening, Kyah told his father that he had many responsibilities and needed to teach Lela many things - so many, in fact, that he felt he needed to attend online school online like his sister. At that point, Kyah had resisted any form of structured learning. Yet, with Lela by his side, he attended his first online class silently, listening without interacting, and continued attending. Today, a full year after his initiatory classroom experiments with guided scholarship, Kyah is building rapport with his teachers, and learning to engage with his peers - always proudly showing off Lela to anyone willing to listen.

Kyah is now eight and aware that Lela is a doll, not his daughter, yet he still feels responsible for her care. One remarkable change is his emerging empathy for children in our community. He is learning to approach parents to ask permission to interact with their toddlers. It's such a thrill watching him take on a big-brother role, teaching those toddlers how to play games on his tablet. For someone who avoided other children completely, this is such a relief. Lela helped him develop the confidence to connect with others.

In the early days of Kyah's "parenting" Lela, guests would see me carrying the doll while cooking, and tease me for it. But carrying Lela wasn’t my choice alone: Kyah insisted I care for her while he was busy, checking in to ensure she was okay. He even remarked on how hard it must be to be a parent, marveling at how his father and I managed it.

Through Lela, we also saw Kyah noticing skin tone and family resemblance. Lela’s beautiful brown complexion prompted conversations about the variety of shades in our family. Her soft, fluffy hair inspired Kyah to bring her to me for styling, just as he did with his sister, celebrating diversity and self-expression in small but meaningful ways.

It’s extraordinary to see how a silent doll could elicit so much life, empathy and responsibility from Kyah. Lela has unlocked parts of him we hadn’t yet seen and we are deeply grateful for her presence - as we are grateful to Genet, who crafted Kyah's Lela so prayerfully and with such love that it shines through every time she is held. Her care and intention in creating Lela has touched our family in ways words can hardly capture.

We hope everyone has the chance to meet a Lela of their own - a beautiful, quiet doll who awakens compassion, patience and the parts of ourselves needing nurturing.”

-Kyah's family

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"They Immediately Loved Them"

In the Spring of 2024 our Kindergarten children were given the most extraordinary gift. The maker of the Lela Dolls visited Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School, bringing three beautiful Lela’s - dressed in expertly designed clothing and shoes. These brown skinned beauties have jointed limbs for full mobility, with detail of form that is a delight for play. They are so finely crafted with care! Our children immediately loved them, giving them names, and bringing them into their play houses for fulfillment of the imaginative stories that they created. 

Doll companions offer children play possibilities that are richly creative and also therapeutic. Life experiences are imitated and processed through creative ensoulment in play; children dress up and create homes, delighting in the kingdom of fantasy and exploring what it means to be human. When toys are hand made, they inspire play that holds a sense of the gentle care and joy originating with the maker. As an early childhood teacher, I have found how important it is that creative play offers representation of our full humanity. 

There are dimensions of ecological health for the planet, and sensory well-being within children’s physical development, that are supported in toys crafted of natural fibers. As we strive to create healthy environments for children’s play, protection of earth environments importantly serve us, and generations to come, well.

Thank you Genet, for your artistry and vision that these beautiful Lela’s are in the world! 

- Janene, Early Childhood Educator, Hawthorne Valley