I've mentioned before that R loves princesses. She told me last night that she dreamed she was a princess. She wants to wear sparkly dresses or princess dresses every single day. She plays with her Cinderella figurines as well as the princess dolls Santa brought her all the time.
I asked her day care teacher whether she talks about princesses at school as often as she does at home.
The answer? Yes.
I then asked if the other girls in the class were as into princesses as R is.
The answer? No. One girl is actively anti-princess and had a "Go, Diego, Go!" 4th birthday party. Three others like princesses off and on. And 2 others like princesses a lot but not as intensely as R.
Now, I know this might just be a phase. She was obsessed with Dora for awhile. And she still likes Dora but doesn't ask for Dora constantly anymore like she used to. So maybe this will pass. I just don't want her to be already fixated on "being beautiful" and things like that.
We've been talking about the importance of being healthy and strong, playing up the strong aspect from Mulan as well as the importance of working hard (Tiana and Cinderella) and being kind towards others. But that doesn't stop her from asking me 2-3 times a day whether she can wear "lipstick" (really just a touch of chapstick) and insisting on tights and dresses and skirts and looking princessy.
What do you think? Should I worry? Or should I just go with it?
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I think, go with it. I was *wildly* into princesses for many years of my childhood. I drew nothing else, and I wanted to be a princess for at least two Halloweens in a row. Other years, I dressed up as something disguised as a princess: A Very Fancy Gypsy, for instance.
ReplyDeleteAnd here I am, a rip-roaring feminist dyke who cleans her own gutters (but still loves sparkles :).
If you want some commiseration, here's a pic of my darling O., the three-year-old who lives next door. The day we planted peas, she insisted on wearing not only a tutu but also a tiara.
ETA: Rats, blogspot doesn't accept HTML code. I'll send you a copy. :)
Wow, this is a popular topic these days. Geekmom.com had a bunch of princess related blog entries recently.
ReplyDeleteI wonder about this kind of thing, too...maybe why I didn't get pink bedding (as if that is going to make a difference). I plan to do like you and push other important female skills.
I would think that any passion that she has right now is probably pretty fleeting. As for her comparison to other kids, maybe she is just more passionate than other kids so it comes across as intense...and her passion happens to be princesses right now. Maybe some day that passionate attitude will help her be a tennis player or get a PhD. :-)
I say go with it, but if you're concerned with the princesses are beautiful thing, I suggest maybe reading her the story, "The Ordinary Princess". She may be a little young for it, I'm not sure. I just know that I loved it as a kid. So much so, that I bought a copy a year or so ago on ebay. I still loved it. If you can't find a copy, I would be happy to lend you mine.
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