The Influence of Friends

Until this summer, Ashley had no idea what a princess was, what they do, or how to be like one. This all changed when the kids spent some time at the house of some friends of ours. The kids are lucky to have friends whose houses they love to play at, and I am lucky that I like their moms so much. It makes it fun for all of us.

At one house, in which a few older girls live, my kids get the royal treatment. The girls would take my kids to the dress-up clothes and deck them out in a grand alter-ego for the day. Everett was always a puffy, muscular Spiderman. Ashley became. . .a princess.

Add to their costumes their own set of wheels, and they were in heaven.

Popsicles make everything even better.

Yum.

Now, when Everett and Ashley decide to imagine and pretend for a while, they always start out like this.

Everett: Ashley, let's pretend! I'll be SPIDERMAN! (he poses with his legs spread and his muscles flexed.)

Ashley (while twirling and looking at her imagined dress): I'm a princess, I'm a princess, I'm a princess!

Me: Ashley, what does a princess do?

Ashley: In a castle. With a dragon!

I don't think Ashley has any concept of the fact that if there are princesses, then there are princes to romance, and that that is what the dream is all about. This is fine. I'm not going to start her on it until she asks. Right now, her view that princesses get to wear beautiful dresses and hang out with dragons in magnificent castles is fine by me.