On Being A Princess: Raising Little Girls to Be Daughters of the King

Thanks to Family Christian for sponsoring today's post. All thoughts are my own.

When I found out I was having a daughter, I was thrilled. I could not wait to buy her pretty dress up clothes, tiaras and ballgowns...all these things that I loved and had found most little girls I knew loved too. Raising a princess? I was thrilled!

I soon found that not everyone felt the same way. In fact I was told NOT to call my daughter a princess, to decorate her bedroom in a princess theme or surround her with all of these beautiful things I loved myself. But...why? Because it would make her spoiled. It would feed in to the entitled culture that this generation has become so known for.

Wait...a nickname can do all THAT? Dressing up in pretty, frilly clothes would make my daughter spoiled? Just what type of princesses are they looking at? To me, that seems to be more of a diva attitude than that of a princess! You see, the way I look at it...every girl, young and old, IS a princess...because our Father is a King! And so, despite the naysayers, I knew that I wanted to raise my daughter to be that kind of princess.

A Princess is Kind & Compassionate 

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. -Ephesians 4:32

Let's take a look at some of the most beloved Disney princesses as an example of this. Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora...these characters were loved not because of their beauty or their status, but because of their kind hearts. They showed their kindness to all...even the smallest of creatures. This is certainly a quality I want my little girl to possess. I want to teach her to be kind to others, regardless of their differences. I want to teach her to show compassion rather than judgement. Just as God has shown us kindness and compassion, we must also show them to those around us.

A Princess Loves Herself.

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.- Psalm 139: 13-14

No, I don't mean that princesses should be full of themselves, or put themselves above others. Not at all. Loving ourselves and being self centered are two entirely different things. We must teach our daughters to have enough respect for themselves that they will not settle for being mistreated by others. We should teach them that they were created by God and are perfect as they are. We must remind them that when the time comes to seek out a prince that she does deserve a prince- a man that will show her love and respect...not mistreatment or abuse.

A Princess Shows Modesty.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. -1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Modesty can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For some, modesty means wearing only skirts, keeping long hair and requiring sleeves always. Me? I'm not that extreme. I love my skinny jeans as much as my maxi skirts...a little knee is no problem, but I avoid cleavage revealing tops and prefer to avoid sleeveless or spaghetti straps when I can (or add a cardigan when I do wear these things). What is modest for one, may not be modest for another...and that's okay, we have to find that level of modesty that works for us and our families. More than anything, however, we must teach our daughters that they do not need to show off their entire bodies to be seen as beautiful and to instead glorify God in the way that they dress.

A Princess Follows Her Dreams.

But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded. - 2 Chronicles 15:7

Another common argument against princesses is that it teaches girls not to follow their own dreams, but instead to wait around to be saved... but I don't see that at all. In fact going back to Disney princesses- Belle was quite the dreamer, rejecting the advances of Gaston long before the Beast came along. God's princesses must be encouraged to follow their dreams as well. If she dreams of being an artist, buy her a paint set. If she dreams becoming a gourmet chef, let her practice in your kitchen. If she dreams of being a doctor, get her the help she needs to get there. And if her dream is to become a wife and mother, that's a perfectly valid dream too. Whatever her dreams may be- big or small- encourage them to work hard to get to where they want to be!


A Princess Serves Others.

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

A true daughter of the King does not seek only to serve themselves. Instead she seeks to help others. That is not to say that we should teach our daughters to sacrifice themselves entirely for the sake of others. Serving can come in many forms- big and small. It can be trying to cheer up a friend who is down with a simple joke or a shoulder to cry on. It can come in the form of opening the door for the elderly. It can be helping to watch their younger sibling or setting the table for dinner. It can be helping a fellow student with homework, or simply offering to lend a pencil to someone without. Teaching our daughters to serve others simply means teaching them to be considerate to others needs and giving where they can- big or small.

A Princess Shows Strength.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. -2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Weak princesses? I don't think so...just look at the headstrong example for Disney princesses like Merida or Mulan. These women proved to be strong both physically and mentally. Being the daughter of a King does not mean our lives will always be easy. We will face our challenges, we will struggle. This is part of life. However, we must teach our daughters that they can find strength in God, and that they are not alone in their struggles. With God's help, our princesses can overcome anything.

A Princess Knows That True Beauty Comes From Within.

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. -Proverbs 31:30

I love fashion and makeup...and my daughter at just 18 months old has already shown a love of the same. She loves dressing up in frilly dresses and having her nails painting. She loves pretending to put makeup on herself or mommy. It's fun to get all dolled up and look beautiful...and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. But external beauty is temporary. We must teach our daughters that while these things may be fun, they are not the most important thing. We must teach them instead not to judge based on how others look on the outside, but instead remind them that kindness, compassion, strength, humility...these are the traits that TRULY make someone beautiful!!

A Princess is Humble.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. -James 4:10
Being a princess does not mean that we are better than anyone. It does not mean we deserve more or should be treated above others. We are all flawed. We all have our strengths and our weaknesses. We are all daughters of the same King. Teaching our daughters to be humble is perhaps one the greatest things we can teach them. We should celebrate their talents and their successes, but remind them that while it's great to do well, it's important not to get a big head.

You see, being a princess is a great thing to teach our daughters. So instead of giving in to the naysayers who say otherwise, we instead choose to celebrate being princesses! Check out this great gift guide for fun ideas for your Godly princess:

God's Little Princess Treasury // My Princess Bible Purse // Promises for God's Princesses // Bible Stories for His Beautiful Princesses // How To Be God's Little Princess // God's Little Princess Devotional Bible // Princess Bible Cover // Veggie Tales The Penniless Princess // God's Princesses Can Always Trust the King DVD // Veggie Tales Princess DVD Collection // Princess Alyssa Magnetic Dress Up Set // Wooden Princess Stamp Set // God's Princess Doll // God's Little Girl Princess Dress // Veggie Tales Princess Castle

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How do you teach your little girl to be God's princess?