I like to consider myself a feminist… now I have been warned that starting an article like that will immediately deter a large section of your reading audience. But we’re all progressive mums here who realise that feminism isn’t about exclusion or aggression right? Or at least open minded enough to keep reading despite an opening that might make us a little uncomfortable. I was determined when my second child was a girl to raise an independent and determined person. I thought I knew what that would look and sound like… I was wrong. My daughter threw out every notion that I had about raising a tomboy and showed me what a ninja ballerina can really do.
Here are a few things I learned from my daughter:
5. Pink really is just a colour – all I wanted to do was put my kid in gender neutral shorts and a t-shirt. But she was having none of that. The pinker, sparklier and fluffier the clothes the harder she would fight to be able to wear them. In the end I just had to get over it. I was fine with her brother wearing pink, in fact when he did it I thought it showed strength of character. So why was I so resistant to let her wear it? What is so dangerous about a colour?
4. Yes you can climb a tree in a skirt and silly dress up shoes. You can also play soccer dressed as a cat and play in dirt using a doll as a shovel. And yes you can still tuck that grubby doll into bed at night with no hard feelings.
3. Princesses can rescue pirates. More than once I have been marooned on a desert island of cushions waiting for a princess on her noble steed (or broom) to come to my aid.
2. Beautiful dancing sometimes just needs to happen in the supermarket, and its even better when you can get Dad to join in.
1. Just because some one is wearing a princess dress does not mean they won’t kick your ass.

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