About “Princess Recovery: A How-To Guide to Raising Strong, Empowered Girls”
“At two, she only wears dresses because she’s a princess like the ones on TV. At Six, she wants the trendiest, scantily clad doll because her friends have it. At eight, she’s begging for makeup because she wants to be pretty like the teen superstars. Your daughter has every opportunity to be independent and confident – if only you could help her tune out the rest of the world! But can you really deny your little girl dresses, cartoons, and friends until she is out of danger?
Child and adolescent psychologist Dr. Jennifer L. Hartstein has good news: You don’t have to! Her unique program teaches you to curb the world’s influence on your daughter – without making her live in a bubble. “
Are you raising a princess or a heroine? As I was reading this book, I realized my daughter has a mild case of “Princess Syndrome”. According to “Princess Recovery” by Jennifer L. Hartstein, a princess values outward appearance over moral consciousness. She relies on others to do the work for her, instead of doing for herself. She feels entitled to rewards instead of expecting to earn them and her actions are motivated by the perception of others rather than her self-perception.
On the other hand, a heroine is a self-confident, self-sufficient, generous hard worker with morals and compassion for others.
This book is written like a how-to manual, or a troubleshooting guide. Each chapter identifies a “Princess Symptom” and the “Heroine Value” to counteract it. I love this format. The book seems mostly to focus on ages 2 to 8 years old, however it states and I agree, that you can implement the program no matter how old your daughter is. The backbone of the program is to encourage and promote good values and beliefs, instead of discouraging negative ones. There are times in the book, I personally found a bit too firm. However, Dr. Hartstein clearly states it is up to each parent on how strongly they want to push Princess play and outside influence out of their daughters’ lives.
I appreciate the messages and life lessons promoted in Princess Recovery and recommend it. It is great instrument to have in your parenting toolbox.
