Princess Rantings

Today Richard and I saw the movie Enchanted.

It was very cute and I really enjoyed it. The basic plot is that a fairy-tale princess is somehow knocked into modern New York city. Much mayhem ensues. After the movie Richard and I had a great discussion. Here are my thoughts:
I know there are some people who are against children playing with Princesses and Barbies and such. I am not one of those people. Naomi has many Princesses and I think her total count of Barbies is up to 5 now. They get her imagination going like nothing else. She plays with them in family circles. For example, before she had a Ken doll she used one of her Barbies as a boy by taking all her clothes off. Some are the children and some are the parents. She pretends they go shopping, take naps, eat dinner, play at the park, etc. Basically, she and her Barbies copy our daily routine. Recently she has started them "getting married". But all they do is hold hands and dance together. I don't worry about her getting a warped view of the female body from her Barbies. I think she has a clear picture of Barbies as a pretend woman and me as a real woman. As long as she has positive female influences in real life, I don't worry about pretend life. Some of the Barbies and Princesses are not dressed modestly. I worry about that a little, so she and I talk pretty often about who is modest and who isn't and why modesty matters. Some of the Princesses come with stories that some view as teaching incorrect principles. Maybe that's true. But those same stories have overwhelmingly positive messages too. Here are some of the lessons that can be learned from Princesses and their stories:

You can be happy if you keep a positive attitude

There is a "happily ever after" for those who make correct decisions in their lives

Often, hard trials come before the "happily ever after"

Work can be fun, or at least easier, if you go at it while singing and dancing

Honesty is the best policy, and the sooner you get to the truth the sooner you can be happy

Women should be treated like Princesses by the ones who love them

It's great to have a Prince rescue you, but sometimes you have to take things into your own, strong hands

There are mean people in the world

Are there any more lessons to be learned from these toys and tales?