My soon to be 4 year old girl was recently invited to a princess-themed birthday party by one of our good friend. I've been protecting her from the insidious brainwashing of the Princess marketing machine. She knows the names of other non-overly girly and pink Disney characters such as Lightning McQueen and Buzz Lightyear. Now, I have decide if I should succumb to the pink frilly world or make her the oddball among her peers.I thought about dressing her up of some kind of non-pink princess, like Princess Leah from Star Wars or Princess Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. But, I know the princess-themed party means pink and frilly. No matter how awesome she will look as Daenerys Queen of Dragons, she will not fit in. As a mom who loves her and will want her to stand out like a sore thumb, I will have to let go. Let her be a princess for a day.
After nearly 4 years of giving her gender-neutral playthings, doing my best to instill in her that she can do anything, and teaching her that if she practice, she can do anything. I think it's time to trust that she's ready to running into the arms of pink frilly silk-taffeta clad 4 year old girls and not forget that her strength comes from her inner abilities and not how pretty her clothes are.