I received a copy of My Princess Boy by Cheryl Kilodavis from Simon and Schuster for review.
The tagline on this book is “A mom’s story about a young boy who loves to dress up” but I think it really should say something like – A story about acceptance and individuality.
The book is about a child that loves dresses, jewelry, and sparkly things. Nothing out of the ordinary – except that the child is a boy. Not only is the child a boy but he also represents the author’s own son.
Right away many people might be uncomfortable with the topic.
There are stereotypes – boys need to like boyish things like sports and trucks and building things.
The reality is that not everybody fits the mold – any parent knows that.
In the book the boy has a very supportive network of family and friends – they accept him just the way he is.
But there are people in society that laugh and stare at him.
At the end, the story asks you the reader – how you would react if you see a “princess boy” – would you make fun of him or accept him?
And if you read between the lines a “princess boy” can be anybody that is different in any way – not just someone that likes to dress up. It can be someone of a different color, someone with different customs, someone with a handicap, someone with different likes and dislikes than your own – the list goes on.
On the last page the author reminds us that “My Princess Boy is your Princess Boy”. Each one of our children is different from each other. And it is our job as parents and educators to teach tolerance and acceptance.
We may need to step out of our comfort zones.
The bottom line is that ridiculing someone because of their beliefs is called bullying – and it is time to make it stop.
Find My Princess Boy
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