Tiny Treasury

In the US, there’s really no such thing as real princesses. Since we don’t have royalty, we create our own. We elevate celebs like Paris Hilton and Ivanka Trump (my mother would argue that Elizabeth Taylor is a better choice) to nearly royal status due to their money and position in life. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed. In fact, some dictionaries actually now define “princess” beyond being descendants of royalty to “a woman considered to have the qualities or characteristics of a princess.” So, if you think like a princess and act like a princess, apparently you can be a princess.

But what does it mean to think or act like a princess? If you asked ten people to define the characteristics of a princess, you’d probably get ten different answers.

In one of my favorite books of all time, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess,the underlying theme is just that: what really makes a princess a princess?

The heroine of the story is a little girl named Sara. She is the daughter of a wealthy father (her mother is dead) who dotes on her. While her father chases his fortune, he enrolls Sara in a boarding school in England. Sara has everything that she could ever want in terms of material things - she is, in that regard, a little princess.

When tragedy hits home, little Sara is no longer a princess in the eyes of the headmistress, who condemns Sara to the attic to live and work in poverty. However, those that Sara had always been kind to remember her thoughtfulness and remain her friends when everyone else abandons her. Sara and her friends create a fantasy world in the attic above the boarding school. But little by little, the fantasy seems real.

Sara finally regains her fortune and her place as a little princess. But this time, being a princess is more about kindness and graciousness than money or treasures.

The ending, while “happy” isn’t a fairytale ending. Everything isn’t magically okay at the end. And perhaps that’s why my pink, paperback copy of The Little Princess was so well worn. Life is not always easy. Bad things happen. Even children understand this concept, though admittedly in a relative way. But this notion of being kind to others, keeping your spirit even when things seem darkest, believing in the good in other people are the traits of a true princess, I loved this as a child. I still do as an adult.

It’s easy to be jaded nowadays and to watch whom the media regards as princesses and wonder what kinds of messages we’re sending our children. A book like “A Little Princess” is just the answer. It reminds us - kids and adults alike - that kindness has its own rewards and that there is magic all around us in our everyday lives. It’s a nice lesson to remember.

And speaking of remembering, don’t forget to sign your own child up to be princess for a day on Tiny Treasury!

A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett, princess