Every Day a Princess

I've written a few times about Phoebe's intense love of all things Princess. It hasn't diminished. She still spends time each day in a princess dress, or a crown, as this picture illustrates. Every book that she picks from the library either has to be about princesses or ballerinas. Again, see the picture.

The week of Thanksgiving we took the kids to see Frozen. We all loved it and I cried more than once. This movie has not one, but two Disney princesses. It also shifts focus from romantic love to familial love, something that I appreciated, though there is still an aspect of romance. The music is fantastic, we've been singing it since we saw it. I recommend it if you haven't seen it, though it does have a few scenes that might be too scary for tiny kids (there's a giant ice monster and some sadness in the beginning).

I think the combination of that movie and the princess audio books Phoebe has been getting from the library led to a new question.

Phoebe: Mom, what's true love?

Me: (trying to figure out how to accurately answer that question in a concise and age-appropriate manner for a three-year-old) It's when you really like someone and want to be with them all the time and don't just think they're handsome or pretty.

Phoebe: Oh. Does Daddy have true love for you?

Me: Yes.

Phoebe: And do you have true love for Daddy?

Me: Yes. And when it's true love you want to do kind things for them and they make you want to be the best person you can be. If you're mean and grumpy when you're with someone, that's not true love. True love makes you want to be good and kind.

She seemed satiated by my answer. I didn't expect to have to define that concept quite so early for her.

One other side effect of the princess stuff? Think back on all the princess stories you know. How many of them have both parents still living? Most of her games now start with, "Let's pretend our parents died. You're our aunt and we live with you."

I don't love that game.