A little royalty

Back when we were on our second attempt at potty training, I bought pull-up diapers with cartoon princesses on them. At that time, we hadn’t yet watched any of the Disney movies these princesses starred in and – with the exception of a brief exposure to my Beauty and the Beast ceramic collection before I packed it away – Ladybug never gave princesses a second glance.

But that all changed the moment I put that darn pull-up on.

“Pencess,” she said, pointing at the picture of Jasmine, Ariel and Aurora.

Huh? What, do little girls hit an age that automatically switches on their I-love-princesses gene?

I’m thinking so. Either that, or all the princess gifts my parents bought for Ladybug for Christmas were just lucky guesses. There was a princess magnet, a giant princess coloring book, a princess magic wand, a princess camera, the yellow gown Belle wore in Beauty and the Beast along with matching shoes that light up with each step. It was Princess Heaven.

Ladybug has even traded in her morning routine of Little Einsteins for Cinderella, which she identifies by walking to the entertainment center, opening the doors and saying “pencess.” She’ll then sit down in her – you guessed it – princess chair to watch.

Oh, I guess it was bound to happen. After all, she is queen of this castle.