Do's and Don'ts of Raising a True Princess

“Once upon a time,” begins in books, and those pages come to life in little girls’ bedrooms. Tucked away in closets lies a fluffy mound of well-loved princess gowns. The title “princess” seems to be written on the female heart from an early age. Nevertheless, it is one thing to wear the crown, and another to let it go to your head. Allow me to explain.

I am all about being the princess, but not for the “royal treatment.” After all, I wrote “The Princess Guide.” In my eyes to be a true princess is about being a daughter of the King (Romans 8:16-17). Therefore, the princess title should be about serving God, rather than striving for regal extravagance. To learn about being a faithful princess, read my book. To see the effects of material majesty, read on.

Recently, The Wall Street Journal covered a story on “kiddie kingdoms.” The days of dollhouses are over. Instead, well-to-do parents have dolled up their daughters and placed them in their very own castle room. Sounds innocent at first, but we aren’t talking patterned wallpaper and plastic tiaras. At costs as high as $200,000, these rooms are over-the-top and outfitted with castle murals, carriage beds, chandeliers, and beyond.

Imaginative kingdoms have been replaced with indulgent ones. Needs have turned into “I want(s).” For the sake of their children’s future, parents just might want to tame their magic wands, that is, wallets. Princess pampering creates a mindset of entitlement, which crowns the ego. This doesn’t fuel a healthy society, or make for a “happily ever after.”

Kingdom-sized expectations don’t shrink, they only grow bigger. For instance, the king and queen mentality can continue at college, where some universities are also building kingdom-campuses equipped with water parks, upscale dorms, high-class food, state of the art gyms, and more. The bar of enticement has been raised along with school tuition. These schools might as well be offering minors in hedonism.

Childhood and college kingdoms give way to adulthood ones, where individuals continue to seek kingdom comforts. Christ certainly isn’t the cornerstone in such ego-centered edifices. Instead, worldly kingdoms blind people from the true kingdom, one that’s out of this world (John 18:36). Maybe its time to replace castles and carriages with kids' prayer corners, where the Heavenly Kingdom can be contemplated.

For the right focus, let us pray, “Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done.” May we seek an authentic princess heart, one of humility, and look to find inspiration in princesses who became saints (girls can even play “dress up.”). The following princesses did the Kingdom’s work by serving the poor. St Clotilde of France, St. Margaret of Scotland and St Elizabeth of Hungry, pray for us.