One of the more poignant moments of our trip last week was Tuesday morning. K spent some time that morning at the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique becoming a princess at the hands of a couple of wonderful fairy godmothers.
We enjoyed breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table with Jasmine, Aurora, Snow White, Ariel and Cinderella before heading out of the park to spend the remainder of the day at the Animal Kingdom. 
As we were leaving the Magic Kingdom, K in her tiara and yellow Belle dress caught the eye of a 3 year old girl.
"Look, Mommy!" she exclaimed while pointing at K. "She's a little princess!"
The look on K's face was priceless.
"Mama," she beamed, "that girl thought I was a real princess."
I am not sure why it struck me so--but I was reminded of how incredibly our self esteem and our identity are shaped by the words others use to describe us. It wasn't enough to K that she was dressed like a princess, acting the part of a princess or spending time with other princesses. Being labelled as such (by a complete stranger no less) was what made the biggest impact. This truth cuts both ways.
I am challenged to instill an identity in my children--to acknowledge verbally to them their strengths, talents, gifts and positive attributes. I must continually remind them the truth of who they are. Goodness knows there will be plenty of other voices telling them all the ways they don't measure up or advertisements telling them what they need to wear or own to matter in this world.
My days of being their primary input are dwindling. I must make the most of them now. The truth is, I could stand to spend some time being reminded of my identity...more than just the list I rattle off: wife, mother, daughter, sister, volunteer, friend...
Tonight I found this list of Scriptural references to our identity in Christ and was blown away as I read through it. A great reminder for me and a fantastic lesson for my children.
May we never forget who we really are.
5 comments:
Wasn't that the most priceless thing? I loved taking our granddaughter Kennedy to the BBB - she chose Snow White. And all day, park cast members would say, "There goes a princess!" and she would beam! (she is 3 years old).
I agree with you concerning our identity. We should never forget WHO we are and WHOSE we are!
Great post! Emmy sent me to your blog.. I'll be back
I'm loving reading about your week and seeing the pictures. My 3 year old daughter loves to dress up like a princess (every time we go to Disney) and she has also been to the Boutique. She loves pretending and being "fancy" but when anyone comments on her being a princess she always says, "No, I'm Abby." I love that she can be immersed in the fantasy world but just as quickly remember who she is and that she is more important and more valuable than any make- believe character.
I really appreciate all the parallels you are drawing between your vacation experiences and how to apply them to real life - K going down the slide, etc. Your insight always gives me a lot to think about.
On a lighter note - can you believe that they could get her awesome curly hair all pulled up like that? Those fairy godmother are amazing! If you are interested, here is the link to Abby's experience at BBB
http://amyanecdotes.blogspot.com/2008/06/choice-she-finally-approves-of.html
Thanks for the reminder concerning our identity. As wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, etc., we wear lots of hats. It can get to be very overwhelming--for me anyway! God is what keeps everything "together", as much as that is possible, and is who I get all of my strength from. Without faith, it IS truly impossible. Thanks for the reminder and encouragement once again. Very cute photos as well. As the mother of two boys, I will miss out on the princess stuff--so it was fun to live vicariously :o)!
I have been a "lurker" for a while now, but this post is so true I had to "delurk"!
I cannot tell you the amount of times my dad has told me that I am "beautiful" or "smart". Growing up, that meant the world to me (still does at 29 if you most know the truth). And it is amazing how quickly a stranger's comment can take that all away.
Your children are beautiful and I have loved reading your blog. Thanks for sharing your journey with us!
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