The Princess Syndrome, Part 1
Going back ten years (whoa) when I worked at a preschool, there was a little girl named Victoria that would throw fits and say "My Daddy says I'm a princess so I don't have to listen to you." I couldn't stand her and blamed her bratty-ness on her princess beliefs. Needless to say when I was pregnant, I was completely opposed to getting my unborn baby
anything princess-y. I was adamant that I did not want my daughter
going around thinking she was a princess and, therefore, acting like a brat.
Fast-forward to present day:
(And yes, that is a princess rug she's standing on.)
So what the hell happened?
Well, princess stuff started to slowly enter our home, mostly through gifts such as shirts and dinnerware. But, honestly, the princess obsession all started with me and my love of Disney movies. Because I had been longing to see Tangled, I made Arianna watch it with me. And she became obsessed. Then through coloring books, soundtracks, and Sing-Along DVDs Arianna was introduced to the other princesses and became in awe of them. Suddenly a princess explosion occurred - largely perpetuated by my mother - and, like so many things planned during pregnancy, my anti-princess plan went right out the window.
This princess mindset doesn't really bother me though, and I think it's because Arianna is so young - she doesn't really get it yet. A princess, to Arianna, is a beautiful woman who wears fancy clothes, high heels, likes animals, enjoys dancing, and marries a prince. And, to Arianna, a prince is a handsome man. Arianna says her Daddy is a prince, and Arianna and I are princesses. Oh - Arianna also knows that princesses live in castles. But since Arianna thinks our house is a castle, I'm going to say she's confused as to the definition.
In our house we have princess dolls (plastic, plush, and Barbie), small princess figurine play sets, princess books, princess bath toys, princess dress up clothes, and a princess toddler table and chairs - all Disney. Doesn't that seem so crazy and obsessive? Reading the list makes me feel like a terrible mother for exposing my daughter to so much consumerism at such a young age.
But here's the thing...
Aside from the Sing Along DVDs and the few princess books we own, Arianna is clueless about the princesses. Tangled is the only Disney princess movie she's ever seen. The only other information Arianna has about princesses was given to her by me through several Fairy Tale books we have (Princess and the Pea is her favorite).
One
of the major issues that parents (and experts I guess) have with toys
from movies and books is that they say they limit a child's creativity in play.
Experts say that if a child is given a Cinderella doll she will only act
out scenes that she knows Cinderella engages in - Cinderella will now
have rules. For example, the child will never pretend her Cinderella
doll is a doctor, because the Cinderella story says she's a maid who
later becomes a princess. I agree with this, and I think it is a really important concept to remember and be aware of.
So if I agree, why do I still allow, and often encourage, princess toys in our home? Well, for starters, Arianna has a ton of toys and, literally, about 200 books. In total her princess stuff makes up about 20% of her toys and about 10% of her books. Which leaves 80% of her toys, and 90% of her books princess-free.
Right now, Arianna is a well-rounded two year old who constantly engages in uninhibited play for a wide range of interests. She's artistic and will engage in arts and crafts for hours at a time. She has a train set and T-ball set she plays with regularly. She loves to cook - both in the real kitchen and in her pretend kitchen. She adores swimming and playing at the park. She plays with her dollhouse, Megablox, and cash register every single day. She pretends to be a doctor and a Mommy. And yes, she plays with her princesses. And no, at the moment, I'm not worried about any "princess effects".
Some other products mentioned:
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