Princess Parenting: Father Daughter Solution

Daddy Brad: As fathers of daughters Daddy Clay and I share a common concern. Daddy Clay: Are we becoming princess parents? Daddy Brad: Today’s episode is brought to you by Baby Bjorn. Daddy Clay you know the Baby Bjorn the Baby Care Original Spirit. There are lots of colors including pink passion. Daddy Clay: Yeah and pink really is –- well that’s the story of the day, because I came across a story on the AP that quoted a woman, Jean M. Twenge, who was the author of a book called the Narcissism Epidemic and she was talking about the danger of raising little princesses and it sort of set of alarms bells for me. Daddy Brad: Oh! You mean sirens, collations because we don’t want to raise little princesses. Daddy Clay: No. Daddy Brad: No, no, no because that wouldn’t tell that they are on a pedestal that they are somehow privileged or very materialistic. Daddy Clay: No we don’t like that. We want to raise girls that are strong and independent and responsible those are the values that we want to go for, not little princesses. Daddy Brad: No little princesses but you know you are fighting the multibillion dollar industry here, I mean there are movies and books and whole islets at wall mark dedicated to princesses. Daddy Clay: I know that true, so here is what I think we should do. As a first step to test whether or not we are princesses parents we should do a princess inventory let’s go to the houses and collect all of the princess related items we find there and bring them in here at the studio. Daddy Brad: Oh! I am going to need a bigger mini van. Daddy Clay: Okay may be I have got an issue. Daddy Brad: What’s the average for princess stuff? Daddy Clay: I don’t know but I think it’s time to freak out because even a normal average girl is going to have a certain amount princes gear in the house, the question is how do you known you have crossed over into becoming a princess parent. Daddy Brad: Let’s ask an expert Jeremy Adam Smith author of The Daddy Shift at the Greater Good Institute he will be able to help us. Daddy Clay: Yeah I am disappointed by this. Daddy Brad: Dude you are away over the lot. Daddy Clay: I was sure you are going to have more than me. Daddy Brad: Look at you. Daddy Clay: This is normal it’s normal, it’s fine, there is nothing, it’s just a few items, okay that was a gift that is totally a gift. Jeremy Adam Smith: Playing princess is not going to hurt your little girl or your little boy for that matter. There is not scientific evidence that playing princess is going to turn your child into a helpless narcissism, problem is that our little girls are confronted by a tsunami or commercialized pink in many situations is the only option for play that they really have and the overwhelming message of all this stuff is that there is only one way to be girl. So what can we as parents do? First of all we can encourage our girls to not be so girly to take risk get dirty and play and to go off script with the princess dolls and finally if you don’t approve a princess gear don’t shame your kids that will do a lot more damage their playing with princesses every will. Instead talk to them at an age appropriate way, express your concern and encourage them to ask question that’s the best answer to princess mania is helping our kids to learn how to think for themselves. Daddy Brad: You know Daddy Clay being a father to a daughter is difficult because we want out daughters to feel special, we want them to feel magical and we have this impulse to give them everything they want, but we really have to resist that. Daddy Clay: Obviously we have particularly in this economy and this is another thing that makes the princesses to need feel very out of step obviously tough economic times really you want to be encouraging your girls to be participating and this is about luxury and glamour, you know it seems an inappropriate sort of value to be a espousing right now obviously Disney is the lightening rod here because they have got the whole princess brand, but you know I don’t really watch the hardcore Disney princesses really don’t even we watch is the Mulan and she is a warrior for crying out loud she kicks people’s butt and I think overall doing a good job with making the princesses be sort of self reliant and plucky and they are still princesses. Daddy Brad: Well we will see they have got a new one coming out the Frog Princess, they cast an African American princess and we hope that she is going to be independent and strong. Daddy Clay: But let me say this that the power of thought is greater than the power of pop culture. Daddy Brad: Interesting thought from a guy in pink. If you have got any type of fault about being a princess parent go to dadlabs.com and let us know, I know I will be there because I have a three year old girl and I am trying not to raise her like a princess. Daddy Clay: Strong. Daddy Brad: Independent. Daddy Clay: You want to thank our sponsor Baby Bjorn sure this Baby Bjorn Baby Care your original spirit comes in pink but it’s for boys. So thanks a lot of joining us we will see you next time here in the lab. I think we have proven that we are not princess parents. Daddy Brad: Did you see the size of your princess tash. Daddy Clay: But there wasn’t really anything that was like exactly princessy in there. Daddy Brad: The horse with the really happy thing on his head. Daddy Clay: That’s a unicorn. Daddy Brad: Call it every --