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!
I actually really like The Princess Diaries for teaching the underlying principle behind these specifics to my girls – that of ambassadorship. Being a princess is not about being pampered and spoiled, as seems to be the trend amongst little-girl “princess” thinking. Rather, it’s about taking responsibility for representing your kingdom well. The Princess Diaries does a pretty good job with this, in my opinion.
I have three princes and one two-year-old princess in my family, and while my sister thinks I’m headed for trouble by emphasizing that she is a princess (of course, thinking of the Disney stereotype), my goal is for her to believe she is a princess because, after all, her Father is the king of kings! I like this idea of being a Godly princess.
A princess is a wonderful thing for a little girl to desire to be..as long as she is acting like a daughter of the One True King!
Thanks for stopping by! I’m going to visit The Domesticated Princess today. What a cute name!
Alison
This is a great article. I love how you went against the traditional “princess” stereotypes that girls look up to. I try to keep my daughter away from that as much as I can because I don’t want her to grow up thinking that she’s entitled. I would love to have you share this at my link party today. Hope you can make it!
-Angie
http://www.easylivingmom.com
Thank you for the invite Angie and the compliment! I love having little girls and i just pray the Lord helps me raise them to be true princesses:)
Alison
Thank you for this encouraging article, Alison! Our little girl is 2 1/2 years old and LOVES her princesses. What a great reminder that being a true “princess” is about more than what we see in Disney movies. I’m pinning this article so that I remember to come back to it often, especially since we have our second little princess on the way in a few short weeks. ;)
Found you at the Easy Living Mom linkup and am a new follower!
Your comment was a blessing, Kim! So glad the Lord has blessed you with a princess and one on the way!
Thanks for following:)
Alison
I appreciate your post. As a mom of 3 little girls (3.5, 2, and 6 mo), we often talk about how the most important thing about a princess is what is in her heart and how she loves and serves others. Not sure how much is sinking in yet at 3 yrs old, but I know we have to be vigilant not to adapt the modern ‘princess’ mindset. Thanks!
A great book for teaching little girls about what it really means to be a princess is Lamplighter’s True Princess: http://www.lightoffaith.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16560&cat=0&page=1 It’s a sweet story, especially for young girls.
I appreciate your post!
How I long to be the best queen I can be for my 16mo old daughter & 2 sons (3&5). We have few religious actions in our home. We pray before meals & sometimes before bed; then there’s the occasional biblical bedtime story. Though this is the case, & I’m often overwhelmed w/ motherhood, I want a place to start! Where? Christ comes to my heart daily, & I’m often afraid I’m ignoring him. There are uneasy habits already beginning to develope. Are there any works or advice you would suggest?
Great question Jessica!
First, I would recommend that you make time for a personal walk with God –every single day. Even if that means getting up super early or staying up late. An easy place to start is Proverbs and Psalms. You can read the book of Psalms once a month if you read five chapters a day. I normally follow this method: Add 30 to each number and go by the date. Today is the 13, so I would read Psalm 13, then Psalm 43, then 73, then 103, and then 133. Then I would read the Proverb for the day. Today is the 13, so I would read Proverbs 13. Also, it is VERY important to get involved in a good Bible-believing church where you know the pastor will teach you God’s word. If you live in the US, I could recommend a few to you since my hubby and I have traveled all over. Another thing, is to make sure you are obeying God’s word. That is how he speaks to us, and when we choose to ignore His voice, we do not get the benefits of having a deep relationship with him. Teach your kids about God throughout the day. Take them outside and talk about God’s creation. Tell them how much God loves them. I also point out to my kids the laws of God that they break. Not in a mean way, but in a way where they can begin to see they could never merit heaven and that their only hope of salvation is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But, before you can begin to teach your kids about God, you have to know God first. I sincerely hope that there has been a specific time in your life in which you realized you were a sinner in need of God’s mercy. It is only when we see our need and trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sin can we then begin to teach our kids the truths about their Creator. Keep in touch!