"The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ..." Romans 8:16,17
Some day your princesses will grow up . . .
I have two daughters. They came out of womb with the notion they were born for royalty. No one told them this. At about 18 months, my oldest daughter started to gravitate to everything pink and fluffy. Before she ever saw a Disney princess or wore a costume, she put left over fabric around her and danced around saying, “Look at me mommy! I’m a princess!”
When they were little, my girls used to dress up in the most frilly, sparkly princess dresses and twirl around. Nothing was too pink or too glittery to ever wear. They would change their girly outfits from our well-stocked “dress up” box every hour. Setting up tea parties, make believe lands and fashion shows were a daily occurrence. Every once in a while, they would even try to put an outfit on their brothers. This was regular life in the home of princesses.
I believe each of us is born a princess. God made us to be a daughter of the King. It is innate. Before we ever see a Disney movie or a picture of Cinderella, our girls know they are made for greatness. God has given them this gift of a purpose and a plan on this earth – our royal heritage.
What a huge blessing and privilege it has been for our family to be given the stewardship of the Princess Parables ministry. My girls were eight and five when the books first came out, and they couldn’t wait to dress up and help mommy at the booth. But times change and our girls grow up!
In the last couple of months, my almost thirteen year old has decided being a princess is not for her. She is maturing and likes to wear jeans with plaid shirts and Converse tennis shoes instead of lace and frills. She wants a modern bedroom, not a princess bedroom. She has asked to not dress as a princess at the conventions anymore and not have her identity be “a princess”.
While this was a huge blow to me and it has taken me a while to get used to, I can see God at work. Even though it is our family ministry, my daughter can take on other jobs of service, and she doesn’t have to “dress up” anymore. We are still working on her role exactly, but she does need to grow and figure out who she is. And more importantly, who she is in Christ! I need to keep my relationship with her whole because she is my heart and my love.
She will always be a princess on the inside. She is a daughter of the true King and is created for greatness. God has His perfect plan for her. She is still gracious, loving, kind, willing to serve, excellent in character and poised - even if she doesn’t wear a crown. I am so grateful for the many years we have had this experience together. I just honestly never saw the end coming. I didn’t know one day it would be “her last” day to “dress up” at a convention. Luckily for my heart, I still have one daughter (for the time being) who likes the Princess Parables.
So last weekend, I listened to my girls and we remodeled their “Princess” Bedroom. Gone are the pink and purple walls. Here instead is a contemporary gray and turquoise palette. We have removed the case of porcelain dolls and tucked away the American Girl Dolls. The princess beds have been traded for modern white ones. And a sleek white IKEA desk has taken the place of stuffed animals and toys.
As much as I would have liked them to stay little and be princesses forever, it is just not God’s plan. I love the women they are becoming and the friends they are to me. Yes, we have our “moments” in these young adult years, but they are a growing time for all of us. I can’t wait to see all God has planned for their lives.
My advice to you moms of young princesses: ENJOY! If your girl wants to wear her princess dress to the grocery store, let her. If they invite you to a tea party, go! I wish I had more often. Take lots of pictures. I realize now in the many of the “normal” moments of life, I never took pictures. Some day, it will be their “last” and they will not stand up and announce it. Enjoy every moment!
I am going to miss the frilly dresses, pink frosting and glitter everywhere, for certain, but I welcome these new grown up young ladies God has blessed me with! It is a new season!
I guess I will just have to wait for grand baby princesses to spoil!
