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Everybody saw it—the mice waving to Cinderella and Prince Charming in their pumpkin coach as the wedding bells chimed; Snow White carried off by another Prince Charming on his noble steed as the dwarves bade her goodbye; and Princess Aurora a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty waltzing off with yet another Prince Charming up into the clouds as her gorgeous gown changes color from pink to blue.
First of all, where are all these Prince Charmings coming from? That's the question that all my single friends are asking. Then a jaded one shrug—"knowing men, he's probably the same guy chasing everything that wears a hoop skirt. He didn't even bother to use an alias like my last boyfriend did."
A Saturday Night Live video on the same topic actually went viral, where they showed the princesses doing their "thang" after they have settled down and become Desperate Housewives-ish. Well, even in real life, even the most idealistic princess-brides can come crashing down to earth after the honeymoon phase settles down into an everyday routine, especially when the kids start coming. In fact, even without wishing for Tinkerbelle, the Blue Fairy, or Fairy Godmother, moms may share more similarities to their childhood princess idols than they think.
To wit, a wife and mom has similarities to:
Princess Fiona, because she wakes up beside a gassy ogre every single day. Note to ogre: try adding more roughage to your diet.
Mulan, because she has to struggle in a man's world at the workplace. Makeup and armor are alternated according to usefulness as the occasion arises.
Rapunzel, because she doesn't even have the time to get a decent haircut from a salon—let alone a decent Brazilian, or at least a relaxing home-service mani-pedi.
Snow White, because her perfectly mopped floors are always muddied by the pitter patter of tiny feet. Dishes are always piled up in the sink too, and no amount of whistling while working will make them go away. Plus, the little guys don't like washing up before eating supper.
Pocahontas, because she now has to deal with an entirely different and strange culture—that of the in-laws.
Tiana, because as she chops her okra and minces mushrooms for gumbo, her frog-faced prince is happily strumming on a ukulele.
Cinderella, because if she doesn't learn to clean the house well, she might as well make friends with the mice. Also, she never gets to finish that book in her fireplace corner because people are always bellowing for her to bring them food.
Jasmine, because as she stays cooped up in the royal garden with the kids, her prince is out gallivanting somewhere on a magic carpet with his weird friends.
Ariel, because her husband would like to have her barefoot, speechless (to nix nagging) and splashing around in lingerie.
Belle, because her Beast has episodes of horn-honking road rage every time he is late for work and there is traffic along EDSA. And like Cinderella, good luck trying to finish that book. There's always something else that needs to be done at the house or in the office. Worse, in this day and age, a lot of ignorant people still think that a woman should not spend her time burying her nose in a book, or talk like they have a brain, for that matter.
But, of course, all women are princesses in their own ways. Nobody has the right to tell you otherwise. The sparkling tiara is only for show. Everyone has an inner princess inside of them. Whether it is as a stay-at-home mom raising her kids the best way that she knows how, or a working career woman who is trying her best to make a mark in this world. Remember how prom queen Cady Heron (Lindsey Lohan, Mean Girls) broke her tiara to hand out pieces to everyone at the ball? That's really how it should be in real life. No girl in this world should be treated less than a princess, especially by their spouses. In the words of Genovian Princess Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway, The Princess Diaries), "To be a princess, you have to believe that you are a princess. You've got to walk the way you think a princess would walk. So, you gotta think tall you gotta smile and wave, and just have fun."
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of HerWord or BusinessWorld.
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