Stealthy infiltration of all-things-princess.

By megret | January 30, 2009 at 10:55 am | 3 comments | Giveaways, Motherhood, News, Rainey

I don’t know how it happened. It slipped in quite unnoticed, but all of the sudden, we realized that our 2-1/2-year-old daughter was head-over-heals for the Disney Princesses….every single one of them. She’d never seen the movies. She’d heard a few of their songs, and had a few of their books….but we’d never “pushed” or marketed the Disney Princess line of products towards her.

In fact, I’ve never really been a staunch believer in the commercial/brand marketing towards very young children. Yes, I know it works. I just didn’t want it to affect our family, that’s all. This may sound very prudish, and maybe a little stuck up, but I have never, ever bought a licensed item of clothing or shoes for our kids. The thought of it used to make me shudder.

So why am I now spending 2 hours in the evenings searching the web for a pair of Cinderella “glass slippers” in a toddler size 7? I have no clue. This “princess mania” must have sneaked into a few of my brain cells, as well, and rendered me temporarily illogical. It’s the only explanation I have, other than….

Maybe it’s simply because I see the way R’s eyes light up when she sees a glimpse of anything and everything “Cinderella” (her absolute favorite). Maybe it’s because I find it absolutely amazing that she’s memorized where every single picture is hidden in her Disney Princess Look & Find book. Maybe it’s because my heart swoons when I hear her tiny voice crooning, “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from her room as I pass by. Perhaps it’s her referring to everything pink or pretty as something a princess would use, eat, or play with.

Ken and I have caught ourselves persuading her to do certain things (use the potty, dress herself, sleep in her new toddler bed) by referring to tasks and items things as the “princess potty” and “the princess bed.” We simultaneously roll our eyes and ask ourselves, “What are we saying?”, but you know? It is working.

Our little pink and purple, all-things-sparkly, giggly, giddy, princess-loving girl just melt us into a puddle, and we realize that somehow, even though her mommy is not terribly girly, she certainly is, and we love it. We’ve even used it as a way to explain to her that she’s a real princess, a child created by God, the King.

This is the way God created her, and in my opinion, as long as it’s kept in check and not transformed into materialism and a feeling of entitlement, it’s completely fine.  We’ll let it stick around, and maybe even embrace and celebrate it.

(And can I also just say that it makes me a little bit more girly, too. I’m having just as much fun as she is. *grin*)