Little Bo Princess has lost her dress and doesn't know where to find it!

photo by Eva Johnson

This is one of my favorite quotations for parenting. I don't believe it means that you should spoil your kids with tons of toys but to allow them to be themselves.

My goal as a parent is to not label my kids, but give them the chance to figure out who they are through their own unique experiences. I won't tell them that they should be anything. I want them to know that I will love them no matter what.

...and then, my son decided that his favorite new toy is a naked princess Barbie doll.

It sounds judgemental and awful that I should be cringing. After all, I know of several other little boys who like to play with dolls.

All of them have older sisters, and I believe that most of these dolls are used for typical boy play, such as dropping them onto the ground or even shooting them with guns. However, my son just likes pretty things (don't try to use the word handsome, he will throw a tantrum). He dresses them up and brushes their hair and declares them "beautiful!"

It's been slowly taking on a life of its own since he was 2 years old. Pink and purple are his favorite colors. He is obsessed with girl songs and plays mostly with other girls. He even wanted to be a pink butterfly for Halloween last year.

What to do? Well, we literally gave him some pink wings for Halloween then and we continue to keep giving him "emotional" wings! He has the freedom to fly and make these choices. We love him no matter what.

Even though we support our almost 5 year old in his 'pretty,' this doesn't mean that it is easy for us. After all, I have gotten some curious looks from strangers. Even my mother-in-law was approached in a store and asked why she was buying our son some princess things.

As he lugs the naked dolls from home to car to the store, I simply say nothing or try to help him when he drops one. I am grateful that he is a happy and healthy boy who has so much love for beautiful things. While I absolutely adore him and his spirit, I also have to try hard not to cringe sometimes.

He's happy in his own way. I should be too, right?

Eva Johnson is an ACE (American Council on Exercise) certified personal trainer, who is watching her son race on Mario Kart as 'Peach the Princess.' She lives in chaos with her husband and two boys. To see her complete blog about how to stay sane and in shape in the real world, visit www.fitnessbyeva.com.