Another Masterpiece by Grammy

It’s no big secret that I am not a girly girl. As a matter of fact, it’s even less of a secret that having a girly-girl for a daughter is a bit scary for me. Chris and I spent the better part of her first couple years steering her away from anything that had the word princess or a picture of a princess on it. I’m not sure what it is that makes me nuts about princesses, but I really just don’t like them. I think it mostly has to do with some of the older princess stories and how they portray these girls. They are so dependent on a boy for their happiness. Take Snow White for example. She pines away for Mr. Right every day, singing sappy songs about love, and her life really only begins once the prince comes and kisses her after she eats the poison apple. Blech. And then there’s Cinderella. She lives the most miserable life sewing, cooking, and cleaning until she meets the man of her dreams who happens to be a rich prince. Yuck. Fortunately, it seems to me that Disney has made a concerted effort to change the role of their new princesses. Take Tiana from The Princess and the Frog, for example. She is self-directed, and can take care of herself and others. She is quite the business woman. And then there’s Rapunzel from Tangled. She’s the kick-butt kind of princess. Sure, she’s a little emotional, but she knows how to stand up for herself. These princesses I can tolerate.

So, perhaps now you will understand why, when Madelyn said she wanted to be Cinderella for Halloween, I quickly replied with, “I’m sorry, honey. They don’t make that costume in your size.” And then I quickly diverted the conversation with how wonderful it would be to dress up like Rapunzel from Tangled. After just a bit of time, I suckered her, um, I mean, convinced her that this indeed was THE PERFECT idea for a Halloween costume. Whew!

I tell this story for two reasons, 1) to admit that I am not the perfect Mommy - although I am certain that will come as no surprise to Madelyn, and 2) to share with you the most precious Rapunzel costume ever… compliments of Grammy!

Grammy worked very hard on Madelyn’s “princess” costume, and as you can see it’s perfect. I looked at a lot of commercial costumes to get some ideas, but none compared to the beautiful dress made especially for Madelyn! Thank you, Grammy! It is perfect!