Sugar and Spice...and Fleece

She likes Princesses, and I should have known that she would, I mean, she's three, right...almost four. That's sensible enough, except it isn't. I don't want it to be.  I want her to fall in love with a world absent of princesses and knights in shining armour.  I didn't necessarily want to round that stereotype corner, but instead wanted my daughter to believe in herself more than magic and Disneyesque fantasies...but, the somewhat natural way of things took over, and I managed as best as I could.

At first, when I realized how asleep at the wheel I'd been with all this Princess rubbish, I threw up in my hands and passed out six or seven times.  Once the initial guilt faded I eased myself into more of a damage control mode. I bought Zoey a sleeping bag, built her tip is and spread Lego out on the floor...I attempted to build a rational being out of the still burning embers of her imagination, and I think we've somehow managed.  Zoey still likes Princesses, but she also likes bugs, and volcanos and  dinosaurs.  Se also likes Mother Nature and music, and swimming and jumping and crashing into things...gently...or not so gently if we're talking about uneven bars and gym mats. W're slowly breaking the spell that society, and the Sears Christmas Wish Book has imposed on her. Princesses are cool and all, but not as cool as ___________(insert whatever). Whew...close one.

What I need to remember is that we are filters to her world, not evil dictators, and that she's going to fall for what she's going to fall for. We can guide her, and steer her, butt in the end she'll wander into whatever crowd she feels most strongly about wandering into. Scary...but important.  I sure hope whatever crowd she wanders into isn't wearing crowns and sequinned skirts...I hope, I hope, I hope.  Then I remind myself, who bought her the Patagonia fleece off ebay as though it might magically make her more inclined to care about the planet? Oh yeah, that was me.  Princess crown...recycled fleece...it's all someone else's priority. She'll find what suits her. I just hope it's not Louis Vuitton.