Bad Momma Post: My Daughter Is Not a Princess.

Maybe I'm jaded. Maybe I'm a "bad mom". It's entirely possible. My mom and dad were amazing parents, and I've previously blogged about what their parenting style helped me to accomplish in my life thus far. The very first lesson I wrote about is how my parents taught me to have realistic expectations about life. This doesn't mean they discouraged me in my endeavors. They knew whatever I put my mind to I would succeed at. They also knew that letting me live in a fantasy world wasn't healthy. I would never be a Rockette - I wasn't tall enough. I would never fly fighter jets - my vision is simply too bad. These are facts of life.

So here's my jaded fact of life: my daughter is not a princess.

A princess, by definition, is the daughter (or close female relative) of a monarch. As sad as it is to admit, I am not a monarch. Jim is not a monarch. In the literal sense my daughter is not a princess. She is the beautiful, wonderful daughter of a mechanic and a youth minister. She ain't no highborn.

I'm not 100% sure why, but hearing Brooklyn be called a "little princess" just makes my skin crawl. I know it shouldn't. I know that they are just words. But words have an impact. I don't want to have her hearing she's a dainty princess as she grows up, and then consider herself too posh for the rest of the world. I want her to get messy. I want her to be a warrior for herself. I don't want to raise a damsel in distress. If she wants to be Cinderella for Halloween? Great. If she wants dress up clothes, barbies, stick-on earrings, and the whole shebang? Not a problem.

Oh, and if my daughter wants a Tonka truck and a G.I. Joe? She can have them, because as far as I'm concerned toys are toys and she deserves to be happy.

Perhaps this all comes from a fear that I won't be able to raise a child who thinks for herself, and defends herself. I get anxious she'll end up being demanding and spoiled rotten. Realistically, I think it's just because she's legitimately not a princess. It almost feels like you're trying to assign her career choices early. To me, it's the same as going up to a little boy and saying, "What an adorable little King!" or "Who's the cutest president in the world?"

So, there's my rant. My daughter is not a princess. She is my daughter, and she's wonderful. I want her to be happy and successful. More importantly, I want her to be what she wants. Princess, tax attorney, or sewer maintenance worker...it's her life to choose.

And if by some miracle she meets a prince and marries him? Then please print this blog out and proceed to watch me put my foot in my mouth. However, until then, she's not a princess. She's a beautiful little girl with her whole life ahead of her...and cynical mother to see her through it.