Thankful November 16

Although I have no daughters, I sometimes find myself having objections to the whole "princess" culture.  If I ever have daughters, I don't want them to base their self worth on an unattainable expectation of beauty, power and wealth, and I especially don't want them to believe that happiness can only be found through a handsome prince (who, according to Disney will very likely be grotesquely muscular and extremely self-centered or completely clueless.)  I was raised in a family of 7 girls and 1 boy. We were all taught to be strong and independent, regardless of our gender.  Grandma Jackson once, when my darling husband, covered in paint because he was helping my parents build a mini-cabin at our cabin in Sandpoint, asked for a glass of water, said, "Why don't you tell him to get his own damn drink of water?!"  Us Evans girls are no princesses!

Still, I can't say I didn't love a little Disney fairy tale action as a kid.  And, as much as I wasn't interested in boys and dating as a teenager (horses were way more interesting!) I still had hopeless crushes on boys at the dances and kept an up to date "marriage list" with my friend Annette, and worried about what people would think of my less than perfect skin, or my more than generous body shape.  So, if girls are going to feel that way anyway, what's the big deal with fostering the whole "Prince in shining armor" dream?

Today I decided it's the inequality of it (I'm only mostly joking)!  Girls spend their lives worried about when their prince will come sweep them off their feet, but not often do you hear of boys concerned with which lovely girl in their lives will be their princess.  In fact, in general I don't think much emphasis is put on their eventual princesses, or how they can be prepared the man that girls are dreaming of at all.

Well, I'm breaking the mold... kind of.

For you see, Eli has a Princess, whom he loves and adores and cares for like a princess should be cared for.  Sure, she's got 4 legs and weighs 400 lbs, but hey, appearances can be very deceiving, for this little lady is all charm, and Eli is smitten! 

This little Princess is a dream.  She's and I have known each other for years and years.  She has followed me from one farm to the next, just waiting to be some little boy's beautiful Princess, and that she is!  Today I am thankful for Princess, not because she is ornery or feisty (which she totally is), but because she is Eli's Princess, and he loves her, and to me THAT is a dream!!!