Disney Princess

The women at the center of horrific fairy tales that became every girl's wildest dreams. 

Today (at least in the US), we celebrate our mothers, grandmothers, and important women in our life. They get presents, emotional posts on Facebook, and pampering. Yesterday I my mom and I met one of my sisters for some shopping. It was a nice, mutually beneficial way to celebrate her. Okay, I can hear you now "Uh, Laura. Title said Disney Princess. Where is this going?" Well, no, I did not meet my "One True Love" at the mall. (And I hope any one of you lovely people would hit me over the head if I said I did). But guess what? I'll tell you how it relates! With the customary Richard Cranium twist, of course. YAY!

My parents met on an Air Force base here in the States. My grandpa (Mom's Dad) outranked my dad, so my dad was trying to suck up and apparently made an impression. After talking for a bit, my grandpa asked my dad if he had a date for some dance or social event that was coming up. When Dad said no, Grandpa offered up my mom. (She didn't appreciate it much at the time). They went to this dance or whatever and my dad brought a friend to try and make it less awkward (I don't think it worked). He kept asking her out and she kept turning him down, until she finally relented. After that, things got brighter. Two weeks after they started dating (or whatever), my dad was dropping my mom off at home and said "we should get married sometime." And she said "Okay. I have to go inside now." Three months later, they were married. It took them a few years before they were able to have kids. Once that did happen, though, my oldest sister came, then twins, followed by two boys, and me. Fairy tale life? Eh, maybe, maybe not. My dad was off working hard so my mom could stay home raising the family. They did get to live all over the world, and she's glad she was able to raise us. I'm glad for that too. Throughout the years, Mum's become one of my best friends. Even when she pisses me off and I can't stand her (and vice versa), she continues to be one of my favorites. If you've gathered by now, that's saying a lot, because I really don't like people a whole lot. 
So there's the backstory. 

Back (Forward?) to Mother's Day. And the tie-in! When we got back from Mass today, my mom told me she'd gotten a compliment for me from a lady at church. (Does that make sense? It sounds a little Matrix or Inception-y.) The lady told her that I remind her of a Disney Princess and that I should send my pictures to them (cuz that's how it works, apparently) so I can be the next one. It was cute, we laughed, the end. Today was absolutely GORGEOUS out, Mum was working in the garden, and I decided to help out for a bit. We got to talking and she asked me which Disney Princess I would want to be. I answered, "Hmm. Do you go with the Princesses who find true love and have their dreams come true, or the ones who are independent and don't need a man?" I asked what hers was and the answer was epic. Are you ready? Are you sitting down for this? Like, I really didn't know Disney Princesses could be so deep and complex, so I hope you're prepared for this. 

My Mum said she'd be Belle. Belle was considered weird because she was smart and she liked to read. She didn't judge the book by the cover (uh, guys, the Beast, not an actual book...keep up). She knew what she wanted and what she didn't. She wasn't willing to compromise on what she thought was right and just. She was nice to the people who deserved it, but didn't waste her time on d-bags. And with all that, she got the prince in the end. 

WHOA. Belle is underrated. I hadn't thought of all that, but my mom picked up on it. It really surprised me, but I really liked the answer. I also think it says a lot about my mom. And that, ladies and gents, is why my mom is a rock star.