The Princess Syndrome

I don't even know if there even is such thing as a Princess Syndrome, at least officially. But I think if you can say men not wanting to grow up have the Peter Pan Syndrome, then surely girls who buy into the whole princess and Prince thing should have their own syndrome. Anyway, I don't know why I'm writing about this, except that having Kimberley here just brought this to my attention, again. I've thought about it many times before. I'm not saying that I don't want her to wear princess costumes or watch Disney princess movies...we all did it and I frankly can't imagine my childhood without it. Nothing is more fun than to imagine yourself as a princess and being beautiful and having your prince come and carry you off on his white horse. I guess what I am challenging is whether or not it is very healthy emotionally. Many girls, myself included, may think they have a good grip on reality when they get married, but somewhere deep down they do expect their husband to behave like a prince in a story. (I must include this aside: Poor guys for having to live up to those expectations.) Women's lib has done a lot to help girls to feel that they need to stand on their own two feet, which in moderation is a very good thing. But, since girls see the Disney movies at a very young age, I think it is deep in their brains way before they understand about standing on their own two feet. I remember expecting Ken to be more romantic than he was, and being disappointed when he wasn't. ( Again, poor guy.) I know that this is a normal thing for young brides. Women are probably quite an enigma to men. On one hand, we want to be treated with respect and to be considered the equal of men in intelligence and ability. Then, on the other hand we want to be treated like we are special and we want to be given the kind of attention that will make us feel beautiful and feminine. I think many girls today are a bit like Alice of Wonderland fame exclaiming,"Who in the world am I?" Anyway, that's another subject. Back to the princess thing. I guess I am asking, how can we help our young girls to look forward to loving a man and still have realistic and healthy expectations? I know I love chick flicks, even though I know that real life isn't much like that. I guess I still like a good fairy tale. I mean, even the men who star in chick flicks don't act like that in real life. I guess I don't have an answer to my question. I just want Kimberley to grow up with joy and enthusiasm about her future but at the same time not be in for a huge disappointment when the love of her life turns out to just be a man and not a prince. Any comments??