Last week many people tuned in to watch the Royal Wedding. In fact, according to ABC News, over 2 billion people viewed this event. I know some here in America woke up extremely early to watch Kate become a princess.
I have written a previous post about the downfall of spending a lot of money and going into debt for that one magical day – Valentines Day Proposals: Deepening Your Love Without Debt.
Even though I am not a huge fan of weddings and the money they cost, I must admit that I did tune in briefly to watch Kate and William exchange vows. While watching, I looked over at my 3 year-old daughter (Ella) whose eyes were GLUED to the television set. She was almost in a trance and mesmerized by Kate’s dress. Ella has always been my princess daughter from the time she was old enough to dress herself. She was constantly changing her outfits so much that Tracy and I had to come up with a rule in which she is allowed to pick out two outfits that she can change into each day. It was getting to the point that she was putting on 10 different dresses a day that we had to hang back up in her closet. I would ask why she kept changing and Ella would respond, “This dress is not pretty.” UGH!
I think it is sweet when she dresses up as Cinderella or Snow White but wonder why she is so attracted to princesses. A few months ago, my family was interviewed by Christine Romans on CNN’s Your Bottom Line. Christine asked my 6 year-old daughter, Ava, what she wanted to be when she got older. Ava responded “an artist.” This did not surprise me since Ava loves to draw and create. Christine asked Ella this same question and got a much different response. Without any hesitation, Ella answered “a princess.” I feel sorry for her future husband.
All joking aside, I wonder why so many girls dream of becoming a princess. I know Disney movies might play a role in this but even as girls grow older and realize that these movies are fantasy, they still dream about this. From Ella’s point of view, I don’t know if it has to do with her watching how much Tracy does at home. I know Tracy and I both feel blessed that she is able to be a stay-at-home mom but she works extremely hard. Maybe this has an impact on Ella. She sees how much effort Tracy puts into making our household run smoothly and all the work the goes into this. I don’t know if this has any effect on her but maybe, in her subconscious, she just wants her Prince Charming to come along and take her to his castle.
Don’t get me wrong, I think the Royal Wedding was very magical. The hard part is it is not a reality for most girls. Many people can achieve great success and have rich lives but it will not come in the form of being whisked away to live happily ever after.
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