Rachel, the princess

I remember someone giving a talk in church about parenting.  They said that teaching your child is just like feeding a baby.  Food gets everywhere, on their clothes, on the bib, in the highchair, and all over their face as you try to get that spoon in their mouth.  And yet, even with all the times you've missed they still get fed and continue to grow. 

Lately I feel like I just keep missing.  I know that isn't true.  Rachel and I have our good days and we have our bad days. The girl is as stubborn as her momma, but I just keep at it.  Trying to keep life at a good pace.  Trying to stay stern and consistent. And trying to keep my voice down, always making sure that she's knows I love her. As I started thinking about FHE, it hit me.  Inspiration... the still small voice...  WELCOME, stay awhile and let's chat!
Well, it was worth a try... It was a rather short visit, but I at least knew what the FHE lesson was going to be.  

Princesses.

At first I thought, haven't we talked about princesses enough around here?  This girl is crazy about princesses.  I promised myself that this wouldn't happen, but it was completely beyond my control.  My little girl loves princesses, especially Ariel.  Greeeeaaaatttt, a story about a disobedient teenager. sheesh.  
Anyway, a thought was put into my head... Tell her she's a princess.  Tell her what a real princess is. I've done this before, but another time won't hurt.

So we did our usual thing... 
We sang lots of songs ("I'm so glad when Daddy comes home" is her favorite, so we sang that one twice), said a prayer, and then I asked Rachel who her favorite princess was.  She immediately started listing off all of them. We talked about how pretty they are and what kind of dresses they wear, you know, girl talk. Then I said, Rachel is a princess too! Princess Rachel! She smiled and said, I'm not a princess, I Rachel! Yes darling but you can be both! Then I started talking about all the wonderful things that make Rachel a princess.  Her chocolatey brown eyes, her beautiful smile, and that she is a daughter of God. And if she makes good choices she'll be able to go to the temple and live happily ever after too.  That's a real princess.  
We sang "I love to see the Temple", and that was it.
I could definitely tell that I got the spoon in her mouth.

Later that night as I was looking for a General Conference talk to read, I found "Your Happily Ever After" by Dieter F. Uchtdorf. It was a talk given in the April 2010 Young Women broadcast.   
I definitely recommend it especially if you have little girls. Plus, it's always nice to be told you're a princess. :)  

There have been times when I've wondered about "Happily Ever After".  I've seen happy marriages end, and good people stuck in horrible marriages.  But after reading this talk I've come to the conclusion that everyone can have "Happily Ever After".
 "Sandwiched between their “once upon a time” and “happily ever after,” they all had to experience great adversity. Why must all experience sadness and tragedy? Why could we not simply live in bliss and peace, each day filled with wonder, joy, and love? 
Enduring adversity is not the only thing you must do to experience a happy life. Let me repeat: how you react to adversity and temptation is a critical factor in whether or not you arrive at your own “happily ever after.” 
I love that... no princess reaches happily ever after without adversity.  It could be an evil stepmother, infertility, deployment, a broken heart, sickness, loneliness, or an enchanted beasts castle... we all have to conquer adversity. But, everyone can eventually reach their "happily ever after".  I know it sounds silly and girly, but it's true!  And so good to know.