We wake up pretty early in my house having a toddler and a puppy too.  You never know which one is going to wake you up.  Today on the Today show they had an interesting segment on “Princess Culture.” Having a daughter myself, it is something that I have been concerned about for sometime.  Luckily, my daughter is a little over two, so princess culture has not hit her yet, although when she starts preschool next year I am sure that we she will want to explore it.  Author Peggy Orenstein in her book Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture discusses how media and culture are influencing  girls at an early age that appearance and being “saved” by their prince charming take precedence over values such as hard work and intelligence.  I really think that this is an interesting read since girls at an earlier age seem t o be growing up so quickly. The message that I liked from the interview is not to forbid your daughter from seeing or liking princesses, but instead to expose them and immerse them in other things as well.  I think that is the best thing you can do as a parent is to expose your child to all different experiences relevant to their age.