My daughter has decided that her name is Princess. At just three years old she has already gotten to that Teenager Phase of abandoning the name that was foisted upon her by her simple minded parental unit and is now going by the moniker of her own choosing. Princess.

You think I’m exaggerating but after 18 weeks of gymnastics classes her teachers were still confused why she insisted on being called “Brenda” / Princess and not the name that her parents had enrolled her under.

When we go to the grocery store and the check out clerk is of the Friendly variety and asks the kids their name before giving them a sticker, MM dutifully replies with his name, age, school grade and a please and thank you and BB rolls her eyes and says “PRINCESS” and takes the sticker and walks away. You can only waste so much time on commoners, you know.

I know Princesses get a bad rap in some households with their Maiden in Distress Complexes and Love Sick Schoolgirl Tendencies, but for the most part I am totally cool with the Princess phase. We have found some excellent Princess role models in Sofia the First, Merida from Brave and honestly all the other princesses if you focus on the good traits that all the girls have.

It’s about finding teachable moments within their interests and milking them for all they’re worth. Look how Cinderella does all her chores! Isn’t Snow White polite? Princesses always eat their vegetables, you know. If you use the potty, you can wear a Princess Pull Up! And a tiara!

Make it work, momma!