Since we saw the movie "Tangled," one of my five-year-old twins has spent a portion of every day trying to figure out how to attach a blanket or something else to her head so she can go up to her tower and play Rapunzel. But blankets won't stay on and the scarves she tries to clip on sag downward and pull her hair. She finally figured out that she could clip a long section of toilet paper (clean, unused!) to her head with a hair clip and it would stay on. Every day this is her routine: as soon as she gets home, she runs for the bathroom to roll out her daily section of Rapunzel toilet paper hair and then she's off to the 'tower' (a bunch of pillows on top of a chair). We are all so used to this now, I didn't even notice a visiting neighbor's look of alarm as "Rapunzel" waltzed through the room with her teddy bear, a 4-foot length of toilet paper securley fastened to her head.
Her Godmother has spoken to her about the waste this daily extra curricular use of toilet paper represents. It does get annoying to find yards of abandoned toilet paper around the house. But as hobbies go, this is a fairly cheap one!
At 5, both twins are deep into the princess phase. I've been told by my friends with older girls that this does not last forever and to just enjoy it. I also have friends who more or less discourage a lot of princess things and they have some really good reasons, too. I'm looking forward to attending a discussion in Berkeley on February 7th by Peggy Orenstein about the subject of her new book, Cinderella Ate My Daughter. From 'the front lines' she explores the meaning of the princess obsession and where it might lead. I can see both sides - the fun and creative exploration but also the stereotypes, over-emphasis on looks and a possibly unhealthy reverence for royalty. Believe me, I do see the darker implications - even while sitting on the couch with a 5-year-old who has toilet paper stuck to her head.
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