Last Thursday as I was getting ready to go to a charity girls’ night out event (the rare occasion I dress up), my daughter came up to me and said, “You’re a princess momma.” She is very much into princesses these days and looks to Disney princesses in awe and wonder. For her to put me in that same category was an eye-opener for me. I do not see myself in that category. I see myself as the cinder-covered maiden before the fairy godmother appears and transforms her into a beautiful princess. Not only because of outward appearance – but inwardly- I rarely give myself credit for balancing all of the things in life. I always feel I’m a few steps behind and I’ll never catch up.
Our children have been given the great gift of coming into this world without preconceived notions about people, things and places. They view the world through a lens of discovery I only wished I could go back to. Bias does not exist for them. They are without the baggage all of us walk around with, dragging us down sometimes to the point where we lose focus on the important things in life. How wonderful that we as their parents have the capability of teaching them unending love, support and confidence in themselves from an early age.
If we can teach our children to have confidence and go forth in the world with their dreams and ambitions, what happened in our adult lives along the way that we lost that confidence? Why is it so hard to muster up the courage to speak up for ourselves, to reach out and grab what we want? I’ve personally struggled with speaking up and pursuing my dreams. My daughter at the ripe age of two, has taught me more about determination and following your heart than I had learned in the previous 29 years of my life. That’s not to say she has specifically said or done anything for me to believe this, but the relationship I’m building with her and the knowledge I’m gaining from raising a tiny human is much more than anything I’ve ever learned in school, in working life, or in social circles. The innocence, the true joy of discovery, and the hope of the future is enough to make me reevaluate my lens on the world. Break down some barriers, reach for those dreams and go forth with the same confidence my daughter has as she’s dancing and singing along with Belle or Princess Elsa.
“Dance like no one is watching,” is a phrase I’ve seen so many times in life but didn’t truly understand it until I had a child then watched her do exactly that- swirling around the living room in her princess dress- grabbing my hand and subconsciously telling me to slow down, enjoy the little things and keep on moving forward.
