For Mothers of Little Girls...

I just found another very interesting blog today in my "blog stalking" session.  (Can you tell Andy's out of town and Kendall and I are both under the weather?  I can only watch so many princess movies!)  Any way, this blog is designed specifically for those with young daughters.  It's focus is about changing the way we think about girls.  What a great idea!  I have so many concerns with my daughter's obsession with Disney princesses.  As much as I'd like her NOT to be so interested in them, I fear it is a battle I have lost, or may never even been able to win!  There is a book out that a friend from MOPS told me about called Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein that I really need to check out.

If you have a daughter, you should check out Redefine Girly.  There are times I look at my daughter and wonder where this little pink, girlie girl came from?  Not me...I was the one outside playing with the neighborhood boys in a competitive game of kickball!  I never minded dresses or skirts that twirled, but never (and still don't) cared if my nails were painted, if my shirt was pink or about having "pretty" shoes!  Sneakers in the winter and bare feet in the summer were my shoes of choice!  But then there are times that I look at her and see her risk taking behavior and think, maybe there's hope for a tomboy yet!  She's so coordinated and athletically inclined that maybe that's the route she'll end up taking.  As I type this I see her outside in her pink Disney princess tutu dress with a pair of purple Minnie Mouse crocs!  At least she's not afraid of getting dirty - she's standing in the middle of the fire pit!

I by no means want to dictate the person my daughter should become, but I want her to have true self-worth and not feel she needs to be pretty to be accepted.  I have been good about watching how I speak to her.  I try hard not to give praise but to give encouragement.  Instead of saying "Boy, don't you look pretty in that dress!"  I choose to say something like "What a great outfit you've chosen to wear" or "I like that you are big enough to decide what you wanted to wear today."  I do the same with Riley.  When he scores well on a test, I tell him "It feels good to see your hard work pay off, doesn't it?"  It's amazing the difference in my kids.  They see the value in the choices they've made.  No, I'm not that intuitive, I've just finished reading Have A New Kid By Friday by Dr. Kevin Leman.  Great book for every parent and yes, I have seen improvements in Kendall's behavior!

Veggie Tales also has a great movie called Sweet Pea Beauty which I'm so thankful to have to offset the Disney princesses.  This movie talks about how it only matters what God thinks of us and how he loves us and made us perfectly.  It also discusses how true beauty is on the inside not the outside.  I love that both my kids enjoy watching it because it's a great message for Riley to understand that he needs to see beyond someone's looks to see what's in their heart.

Okay, getting off my soapbox...But just thought I'd share.  I'd love to hear from other veteran moms who've survived this stage and can offer sound wisdom.  How have you dealt with the girly girl in your life?

Good Luck!