It seems that little girls are inundated with princesses. Princesses splash across many books, movies, room decor and more. But I want my daughter to know what a TRUE princess is. In fact, I want to share with you how I raise my daughter to be a true princess. Even if you’re not a princess fan, give me just a few minutes of your time to talk about this subject — maybe you’ll change your mind about what and who and true princess is!
Honestly, I love the girliness of princesses, but I don’t always like the examples that are set forth by the most popular princess characters available to our daughters.
In fact, I want my daughter to act like a true daughter of a King. I want her to develop noble character traits that will carry her through adulthood and transform her into a beautiful queen.
Unfortunately, the majority of princesses being advertised to my daughter display very negative and sinful behavior. These well-known princesses disobey authority, wear provocative clothing and kiss on boys that are not yet their husbands. In fact, Sleeping Beauty kisses her prince after only meeting him for a few minutes! Wow. That does not go over well with this mom!
I have four daughters that are precious and valuable in my eyes. They are pure, brilliant, creative girls that love tea parties, dolls, cooking, baking, pink and purple things and holding real babies. I do not want my daughters’ role models to be women, fictional or not, that exhibit qualities of a woman with little virtue.
I refuse to let the media mold my daughter’s thoughts about what a TRUE princess is. Being a princess is not a bad thing! In fact, it is an honor. A princess is the daughter of someone that is typically wise, favored and mannered. Yes, there have been many evil kings, but my daughter is learning to follow the one TRUE King! When she follows Him, she will take on characteristics of a true princess — one who is respected and praised for her virtue.
As my daughter and I walk this mother/daughter journey together, these are the steps I am taking to raise her to be a true princess. And in my eyes, she is already a princess!
How I Raise My Daughter to be a TRUE Princess
- I encourage her to talk like a princess. Girls like to talk. It’s natural! But, as a daughter of the One, True King we need to desire to please Him in all we do — including our speech. In I Peter 3:4 God informs us what desirable trait is valuable to him.
“…even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”
Obviously this passage is about a woman’s overall spirit, but if she possesses this spirit, she will possess a quiet tongue. She will not be the girl or woman who “tells it like it is!”
We are also reminded in the well-known chapter of Proverbs 31 that a virtuous woman respects the law of kindness. A princess should always speak kindness — it is the law of her tongue! She will not be the older friend sneering at the younger friend telling her “she should go play with the other little kids.” No, she will always be kind to kids of all ages, as well as adults. She should be the one who refuses to go along with any gossiping or tearing down of others. She desires to be the wise woman of Proverbs 14: 1 that “..buildeth her house.” A true princess encourages her siblings instead of tearing them down with stinging comments or words.
- I remind her to think like a princess. God even has something to say about what a young girl should think! Philippians 4:8 says:
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
What we allow our little girls to watch, read and hear, directly affects their minds. Is your little girl learning how to flirt with boys or how to be the most popular girl at school? That’s not the aspirations of a true princess! Instead, she should be studying hospitality and the art of ministering to others. She should be thinking bout her future, and other people’s futures as well. Teach your tiny princess now to esteem others better than herself.(Philippians 2:3) Encourage her to think about how other people feel and what their needs are, before she considers her own. Encourage her to pray for others more than she prays for herself. A true leader is concerned about the needs of others. That is how a true princess thinks!
- I talk to my daughter about courage.. Remember Queen Esther when she said the words, “If I perish, I perish.” She was undoubtedly a brave queen. She knew Mordecai was right about her making petition for the Jews. She listened to the authority in her life, (unlike the famous Disney princess Ariel) and risked her very own life for the life of others. She did not know the end of the story like we do. She simply prayed, fasted and obeyed the authority figure in her life. A queen that only cared for self and lacked courage would not risk her life for others. Myriads of lives were saved because Esther was a true queen. She was courageous and did what was right — no matter the cost. Now, that’s a princessesly courage!
We, as mothers, are the real-life examples that our precious girls have to follow. Before we teach them to become the princess God wants them to be, we have to become the queen God wants us to be. As we teach our daughters to act royally, may we be pricked in our own hearts to walk like queens!
