Fairy Tale mentality

Baby Girl is born, she is wrapped in pink and treated like a princess.

Toddler girl begins to learn what fairy tales are.  Is given princess costumes and tiaras.

Preschool girl watches princess movies and discovers the concept of prince.

School girl learns about "happily ever after".

High School girl - begins to wish that someday her prince will come.

College girl looks for prince, a big white dress and sees happily ever after on the horizon.

Young woman gains the prince, wore the dress and begins to have princes and princesses of her own.

Middle aged woman loses sight of the fairy tale.  Decides happily ever after was a myth.

Older woman decides happily ever after is dependent on herself and no one else.

Elderly woman sees that happily ever is attainable but not in this lifetime.

There is just something about the fairy tale that stays with a woman.  It takes on different meanings at different stages of her life.  Some women keep trying to find the prince but find most men fall short.  Some women decide early on its a worthless pursuit.  Some women hold dearly to the dream, let-down after let-down but are determined that their life will have that happy ending one day.

No matter what attitude a woman has adopted there is one thing I think that all women want.  We want someone who will fight for us.  I would even go as far as to say that this type of person would even bring hope to the woman who no longer believes in happily ever after.  There's just one problem with that desire - It's hard to find someone that can actually live up to it.

Thing is, I really believe that most men are fighters.  They want to be our knights in shining armor as much as we want them to be.  But perhaps we are not always so princess-like or inspiring.  It's really hard to fight for something that you may not believe in OR it's really hard to fight for someone that's already fighting with you.

We may want men to (excuse my vulgarity here)   "grow some balls" but often we are the ones who cut them off  in the first place.

And let's face it - if it's not us doing that then it's the crazy world we live in.  It's the crazy stupid world that makes us insane so we go off on our men and decide to take captive their balls so they can't fight anymore OR it's the crazy stupid world, that beats down our men sapping their energy and then leaving us vulnerable.  The crazy stupid world attacks us ALL.

It really doesn't matter what it is - my point is that we need to self examine before we make judgement - as do our men.  We are often left vulnerable, but are we empowering our men?  And even if we are the picture of perfect femininity and grace, do we ever stop and put ourselves in their shoes and really think about what they might be going through?  Are we praying for them and loving them the way we've been taught in 1 Corinthians 13?

I no longer believe happily ever after is a myth but I do believe that I have a role in making that my life. Love is not something that just happens to you.  Love is an action and I have as much responsibility to act on it as  I have to receive it properly and without expectation.

Now, do princes actually exist? knights in shining armor?  Perhaps not the way the fairy tales portray them but I know at least one guy who fits the job description - and he even fought for me this week!  Sorry all you princess wannabes - this one is mine!

All men have it in them - they just need the right lady in waiting to bring it out.  BE that girl......  you'll see.