To my darling baby girl Penelope,

Hello princess. 🙂

Today you are 16 months old.  You can walk and even run after your Koko now.  You’re doing a pretty amazing job at feeding yourself, and you’re even trying to talk!  You can say so many words like “Ta Ku” (thank you), “Ma meh” (mommy), “Haaaayo”, (hello), “Yaaaaaa ngh” (yam seng), “hawa” (flower), “cuckoo” (clock) and you communicate non verbally beautifully.

You are a joy to be around and an absolute princess. Speaking of princesses, you are already half in love with Sofia the First from Disney Junior and I fully expect you to be completely immersed in the world of Disney Princesses in a year or two. That’s fine; mommy was a huge Belle fan herself.

But here’s what I want you to remember.

You are always mommy and daddy’s princess

Mommy was Grandma and Grandpa’s princess and you are our little princess. Nothing will change that. Know that we love you to the moon and with us you will always be safe. Princesses need to go out and explore the world too but if you’re ever tired or just need to come home, I will be waiting for you with open arms.

Act like a princess

We went to the Astro Circle Disney Princess Dream Big party the other day and I could see how awed you were when Cinderella and her pretty dress waltzed into the room. Princesses are beautiful, aren’t they? So are you.

They’re not just pretty on the outside, they’re beautiful on the inside too.

There may be mean girls at school who won’t ‘friend’ you and give you a hard time. There may be mean girls around even when you’re all grown up too! In fact, you may face all sorts of unpleasant experiences and people in your life. That doesn’t mean you have to act the same. Don’t stoop to their level.  Act like a princess.  Repay meanness with kindness, stupidity with intelligence. Carry yourself with grace and laughter.

Above all, I will help you to develop your conscience and principles. If you stick to them, your heart will always be strong and at peace.

Dream big!

What is a princess? A princess is not just a beautiful lady who lives in her castle waiting for her prince. A princess is much more! A princess means being whoever you want to be. It’s not waiting for a boy to come save the world – it’s saving the world yourself! Or with him, whatever.

I can’t stress this enough. As a girl, you may face in life subtle discrimination. That maybe you’re not good enough or smart enough because you’re a girl. You may receive average lower pay or have your opinion discounted because you don’t have XY chromosomes. You may feel pressured to play down your intelligence to fit in at school. You may get passed over for promotion because you had to take maternity leave.

You will definitely feel pressured to do it all as a woman – to have a kickass career, loving husband, perfect kids, and a Pinterest worthy home. And to look flawless while doing it all.

This is part and parcel of being a woman although I have high hopes of change in your lifetime. But you must never take these as an obstacle to what you want to do. Figure out who you are and go for it. Wanna be a fashion designer? Or social worker?  Or firefighter or astronaut? Can!!!

(Although obviously I’d be quite worried for safety la if she does anything dangerous hahaha).

But the point is I will support you in whatever you choose to be. I only ask that what you do has to be beneficial, and that you do it the best you can.

I have so many dreams for you, even more so than for your brother, if I’ll be honest.

And the reason is it’s because you’re a girl. You will face unique challenges, sure but because of where we live and what we will hopefully provide you, you will also have many wonderful opportunities and chances at happiness.

Dream big, little one. Be a princess who can do anything she sets her mind to. I will be behind you all the way.

Love,

Mommeh.

*******

This post was inspired by the Astro Circle Disney Princess Dream Big event we attended a month back.

I’m a lifelong fan of Disney and increasingly, I like how Disney has been producing stronger, more diverse princesses of late – who don’t need a man to rescue them – Merida, Elsa, and Anna, etc. Especially when I have my own little girl who will look up to princesses as role models now!

That’s what I want for my daughter! To know that she’s worth more than her pretty face, housekeeping skills or… hand in marriage. That intelligence, kindness, bravery and loyalty matter more than wealth, status or a prince lolol.

Anyway if your kids are big Disney fans, do check out the Disney Kids Club under Astro Circle, Astro’s loyalty program. Register as a member and you’ll receive privileges such as:

• Access to movie screening events for new Disney feature presentations such as Disney/Pixar’s Finding Dory, The BFG and Pete’s Dragon
• Special themed experiences and events exclusively for Disney Kids Club members
• Priority access to exclusive meet-and-greet sessions with Disney characters
• Exclusive membership goodies, including birthday treats in the form of Disney giveaways

 Register and find out more at the Disney Kids Club page here.  You can also check out the Astro Circle Facebook  or their Instagram at @astrocircle

Penny’s a fan hahahaha.

This post was written in collaboration with Astro Circle.