I just removed “The Little Mermaid” from our DVD player to
put in “Cinderella.” My oldest is dressed up in her “Sleeping Beauty” play
clothes and we are reading a “Beauty and the Beast” pop-up book. Yes, it’s safe
to say that we are a princess family.
Sure, it’s a multi-million dollar industry that stamps their
name on everything from toothpaste and underwear to dolls and shirts but is
there really any harm in it? I don’t mind spending money on Disney items. They
are some of my daughter’s favorite characters. Heck, they are still some of MY
favorite characters. I was born in the 80s. “The Little Mermaid” was the first
movie I ever saw in theater. To say that the princesses impacted my childhood
would be putting it lightly.
My fellow blogger Rachael talked about the issues of princesses in a post here last week and I have to respectfully disagree with what she said about the adverse effects princess culture have on our kids.
Of course I’m just one person but at no point in my
childhood or adolescence did I feel insecure or not as pretty as the Disney
Princesses. They are cartoons. I never hated my life because my Prince Charming
didn’t appear. I never questioned the monetary security of my family because I
didn’t live in a castle. And just to clarify, I never felt like a maid fighting
against step-sisters to finally get my chance at the world.
Are the Princesses now parenting our children? My girls
watch “Tangled” and “Snow White” so now I don’t have to teach them anything
about beauty, kindness, morals, respect? No, sorry folks. That’s not how it
works. As a parent, it is your choice what to do about the Princesses, Dora,
Strawberry Shortcake, Barbie and the likes of every other interest for our
girls (not to mention the super heroes and bulky monsters for our boys) but it
is NOT your choice to let these characters rule what happens in your house.
My three year old loves to act out scenes from “Tangled”
especially when it comes to Mother Gothel and her bossiness. We’ve discussed
the reality of the situation though. We’ve talked about acting and playing
pretend versus how she behaves in real life. And sure enough, it’s not an
issue. She learns more bad habits from the kids at preschool than her movies or
favorite characters have ever taught her.
Of course the Princess Wars
is just another thing for moms to bash each other about so I’ll end with my
normal disclosure, my parenting choices may not be best for you and vice versa.
What is shaping our childrens’ lives though is not TV characters, it’s us, the
parents. We need to be the example. We need to teach them right from wrong, use
their interests to further their education and help guide them through the most
difficult times in their lives. Fighting with each other is not going to do any
of that.
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2 comments:
I think that in general, the overarching marketing to children is off-putting (to me). Princesses are just one example, and there are others like those you and Rachael both mention. Parents that can balance manufactured fun with creative/imaginative fun are on the right track, I think.
I don't mind the marketing. It gives us a chance to explain peer pressure early on in life. That may sound sort of crazy but if we can explain to her why she doesn't need every single thing she asks for (because she sees it in TV commercials) it'll help her in the future understand why she doesn't need a certain type of shirt or pants or shoes or worse yet smoke, drink or do drugs. My mind worked in overdrive to connect marketing to peer pressure but it really does make sense.
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