We just returned from Disneyland and I still have Disney fever. I have to confess, my daughter is obsessed with the princesses and I’ve not exactly discouraged it.
Last night while surfing the Net, I found a mom blog with a bit of a princess flair.
I share this not to plug the big Mouse and tiara-wearing girls any more than they already are, but to share in her wisdom.
More than one mom I know complains about the princesses and how they always end “getting married” in pretty gowns.
But this mom takes the stories a bit further with her daughter and this morning I had the opportunity to do the same.
My 4-year-old was talking about the mermaid princess and wondered why she had legs when we saw her last week.
“How did she swim all the way there if she didn’t have a tail?”
I laughed! Good observation I thought. So we talked about how she was brave and wanted to be independent and had a dream to be human. We talked about making choices in life that change things.
“Ok, now we’re going to talk about Aurora,” she said.
Then the conversation went on about the witch and the prince. Again, we talked about bravery and not talking to strangers (as Aurora’s “aunts” said in the movie).
I took more than one tip from the mom blog I read about referring to the qualities to admire in a princesss: sharing and being helpful (We have a book where Cinderella throws a party for girls in an orphanage). We talked about being a “polite” princess with our words. I remembered that the mom blog referred to how Cinderella was a good friend to the animals.
I’m glad I found another mom’s perspective on this. It’s given me good ways to move my daughter beyond “one day your prince will come.”

Posted in: Blogroll • Michelle Reese • fun with kids |

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