My former pink princess is now 15, wears monochrome (shades of Adrian Mole's beloved Pandora as a teen!) and has hair of various colours. Although the bedroom she uses at my house is still papered with a 1D calendar she's now into far more obscure groups and Camden Market! C'est last vie!

Are these princess dresses flameproof? [I'm just a bit paranoid after that awful accident last Halloween]

I don't think they are - they are not "clothes" as such. The fact that girls wear them everywhere, all day, doesn't seem to make them clothes.

in reply to far north, I do think girls are superior, they are pretty, it has been proven they are cleverer than boys, they apply themselves to their schoolwork more than boys and seek approval of the teachers by being better behaved than boys, they don't play loud fighting games and as they grow up they achieve more than boys. ......the list is endless.

'They are pretty...'?

Not all of them are, and even if they were why would that make them superior to boys?

That's a bit worrying, ethelbags. Being pretty definitely doesn't make little girls superior . And what about those who might not be described as pretty? Are they inferior? Little boys can be very cute, or whatever adjective you care to use, too.
I know you are a proud gran, as are we all, and my two little girl gds are gorgeous but they have far more than physical attraction. And the boy is gorgeous too. I know you love yours to bits but I am sure she has lots of other attributes that make her special, in the same way that all our little grandsons have. They are all unique and special to us. I wish you much continued joy with your little GD.

To be fair to ethel, she has given more reasons than "pretty" for her belief that girls are superior.
Those things are probably true, in general, but won't be true in every case. There are also ways that girls are less good than boys, in general, eg their tendency towards snidey, waspish comments and ostracism of other girls.

I'm all for boosting a child's self esteem but it can't be good to encourage a girl/boy to believe that the other gender is inferior.

ethel I really do hope you have no grandsons because your opinion of them will wreck their self confidence and it is a good job that your opinion is not of the general kind. My darling son has had enough people kick him, literally as well as metaphorically all his life, apart from me and his friends now, including his own sister who has put the boot in many times, so no, she is not pretty, inside at any rate. And this is what matters, what is on the inside, of both genders. Don't please tell your grand daughters that they are superior to boys, it really is not nice and will not do them any good in the future.

Women have fought to be equal, not superior.

ethel Your post is so distasteful that I am going to leave this website for a while. It sickens me that you think this way.

My daughter is to stand in front of a man and say vows to him in three weeks. She is deceiving him and has done for years. She is manipulating him and has done for years. She is dishonest and has been for years. I am not going to witness her dishonesty, I couldn't.

Did she want to be a princess? Maybe at about 3 years old. She is a Youth Worker, working with young people, helping them with their problems and keeping them off the streets. She couldn't be bothered to visit her own brother when he had serious depression for 2 years.

Has her wanting to be a princess and wearing pink made her into a superior being to men? I do not think so, not one bit. I am ashamed to say that she is ugly on the inside, rotten when she will leave her own flesh and blood to suffer when he turned to her again recently and she did nothing again to help.

Don't make out that women are superior to men, every person is an individual and no matter how we bring them up, they will still turn out their own way, good or bad but no gender is superior to the other.

Well,my little granddaughter is certainly pretty,and clever too(don't take after me ,that comes from her other gran) at two years five months,she knows all her letters and numbers and colours.She chats away like a five year old,(although I must say I don't understand it all) But she will be treated exactly the same as her little brother.Equality girls,we are all equally important,different yes,but no better no worse than the next person.Well ok,yes,sometimes we maybe better,not everyone is a nice person.
But a girl will be able to do what ever she wants today,my 16year old great niece and her friends take this for granted.

I know a family where the girl is favoured by her mum, and the son is favoured by his dad.
It is splitting the family in two.

I don't see what the problem is!

DGD2 often arrives at our house and announces that she is 'Ana', 'Merida' 'Sophia the 1st' or 'Heidi' (who not a princess). As far as I can tell most fantasy princesses are brave, spunky and go out of their way, encountering danger on the way, to help their families.

I don't think she or DGD1 are at all aware of who Kate is and would probably have no desire to emulate her goldfish bowl lifestyle.

It's fun, it's fantasy and they'll grow out of it!

Let It Go..........

Rosequartz.your right.Let them be kids,they will be more responsible adults.
It's just phases,(When I was a child,I spake as a child) or something like that.Phylosifer,I ain't.Cant even spell it.

rosesarered I will be humming that bloody catchy song all night now

I know, hee-hee, that's why I added it, I'm sure you have a lovely soprano voice.

Ha ha, it usually clears the room if I sing!

DD2 has a lovely voice though, but not inherited from me!

Why do girls want to be princesses?

It's obvious!
The real reason is because they are made of sugar and spice and all things nice whereas boys are made of slugs and snails and puppy dog tails.

Ah well, at least my gorgeous DGS haven't brought ruddy Frozen into my life yet. Though I do have to sit through a lot of Mighty Digger videos and read a book called 1000 Things That Go.

What a strange and dispiriting view of boys etheltbags. It doesn't match up with my experience with sensitive, loving boys who have the whole range of interests - the same as girls - reading, craft things etc etc etc.

I can't see that it matters if girls want to be princesses - it is a phase that some go through.

I think it is nice for children to be able to have nice and innocent childhoods.
The harsh real world will get to them soon enough.
It is all just fantasy.

Have not responded to this thread, as i have been thinking about it, again and again- and not sure how I feel. Our GD is so pretty, ash blonde and the bluest of eyes- and she just loves to be a princess- and of course when she is everyone is 00hs and aahs- and this confirms her desire to be a princess again. No harm is os many ways- and with so many great female rôle modes around her- with great education and jobs and interests- I'm sure she will be fine. But the nurture versus nature question remains prevalent and interesting. She loves being a tom boy too, and plays rugby in a club and has been since she was 4- and can be as rough as can be too.

But perhaps it is the boys that suffer the most. Girls can be both, princesses 1 minute and rough as anything, climbing trees and playing rugby with the boys- but boys can't. They have to be boys and nothing else.
I'll always, always remember the day when the 5 year old next door where we lived, was given a doll's pram by a neighbour. He put his teddy in it and was running down the pavement and up again, making screeching noises like a racing car- when his dad arrived home. Dad went berserk and trying to shout in the street at his wife, and how he would turn (sorry his words) into a poofter if he was allowed to push his teddy in the pram. He got the pram, smashed it against the garage door, and put the remnants in the bin- with the little 5 year old crying his eyes out. Poor boys- we women can and do have it both ways if we want, boys, men, fathers- really are not given that opportunity most of the time.

Totally ignorant whichever-swear-word-you-like- to add

The neighbour !

That's awful, granjura. What a horrible father.