Disneyfamily

Encouraging Our Girls To Always Dream Big

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A few years ago I first heard about “Dream Big, Princess” at Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. I instantly fell in love with the idea of empowering our daughters to dream big like their favorite Disney Princess does. I am sharing more about Dream Big, Princess in this sponsored post.

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Since the girls were little, they have all loved Disney princesses. They loved dreaming along with them as they saw them in their favorite Disney movies and twirling in the flowing dresses we bought them so that they could match their favorite princess when we were at the Disney Parks.

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Back home they would excitedly create tea parties and pretend Belle was coming over from Beauty and the Beast and they would even have books waiting for her. They would happily share with anyone willing to listen why they loved princesses and that they wanted to be one when they grew up!

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Before I knew it, the years passed by and I realized that Disney princesses have been a much bigger part of our life. They have also helped to instill so much more into our lives. From Ariel teaching us to explore the world when she wanted to see dry land outside of King Titan’s Kingdom Under the Sea, to Merida being brave to save her mom, there is always something to be learned from the Disney princesses.

Brave was the first movie Emmy ever saw in the movie theater, and it couldn’t have been a more perfect movie for her to see.  We talked about the story for months.   Years later, she still brings it up.  She learned about the love shared between a mother and a daughter and that you have to be brave even when you feel like you can’t if it means helping someone you love.

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At our annual Christmas Tea, we talked about the girls’ dreams for the coming year.  I always want to encourage them to dream big when they set these yearly dreams because dreaming big leads to big possibilities.  Like Princess Tiana, I want the girls to make their dreams a reality even when it seems like the dream is out of reach.  I don’t want them to feel limited to only choosing dreams that are easy to achieve.  I want them to know how extra special it feels for a dream to come true that they had to really work hard for.

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When we talk about their big dreams, we also explore the steps to take to make their dreams come true.  Emmy’s dream is to be able to do a backflip, so we talked about how she needs to keep practicing at gymnastics to make her dream come true.  She needs to remember how Cinderella never gives up and to do the same to make her own dream come true. I want Emmy to know that dreams come true when you least expect it and giving up early should never be an option.

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Maddie and Ashley have some big dreams for this year too.  Their dreams are pretty much the same as mine.  We all want to keep traveling, meet new people, and explore new cultures.  We would love to add in more volunteer work, and if we were to really dream big, we would all love to see all 50 states this year.  I love that showing the girls how dreaming big puts us even closer to making our dreams come true.  

I can’t wait to see how we all work through our big dreams this year.  Like Princess Aurora, I always wonder what is possible, and I am so excited!

How are you encouraging your child to dream big?

Heather Reese
the authorHeather Reese
Heather Delaney Reese is the storyteller and photographer behind the lifestyle and family travel blog, It's a Lovely Life®! For the past decade, she has vacationed over 150 days a year with her family. She is a vegan, and loves being by the water, spending time with her children, husband, 2 Shih Tzus and Cat.

42 Comments

  • I believe that parents should encourage their children to dream to do things and aspire to be things. I start by always encouraging my youngest to do the best he can and stay positive so he knows to always try his best.

  • I love this post, it is so relevant in today’s society…we need our girls to feel empowered to go for their dreams. Boys need it too…and having great movie heroes thanks to Disney/ Pixar/ Dreamworks movies kids today get that awesome experience of seeing kids make a difference!

  • I love the idea of dream big. I think that is so important to teach kids and also remind ourselves!

  • Encouraging the kids to dream big is great! I’m glad so many Disney characters can set good examples. Accomplishing big goals is very satisfying.

  • I am always encouraging my nieces to be the best they can be! They love Disney movies, especially the ones with a strong female role like Brave and Moana.

  • I think it is so important to teach your kids to be dreamers. I have always said if you can dream it you can do it.

  • We made a dream board in our house. It is a lot like a vision board. We put all of our top dreams on it. The kids get excited to add new things to it.

  • It is so important to have dreams in life. I like to encourage my kids to set goals that might help them achieve their dreams.

  • Encouraging kids to go for their dreams is so important! I love that kids have so many ideas. We should always encourage that they go for them.

  • I support my girls to be the best they can be. We would love to eventually see all fifty states as well.

  • I am encouraging my girls by doing things out of my comfort zone so they can see that even though it seems impossible TO ME… It’s really not and they too can do whatever they set their minds to!

  • I think this is a very important topic. Kids need to always know that their dreams are never to big. I think we should all encourage this for our children.

  • I love this and, though I’m not a parent, I am a teacher in a rural town and am faced with this conundrum often. In a rural town, most people either grow up and work at fast-food joints, Walmart, or join the school community and become teachers. There’s not much else here. I want to be able to support them and help them realize there is so much more out there beyond our tiny county!

  • As a parent, I think that we are the biggest supporters of our children. I want my daughter to realize all of her dreams no matter how big or small they are.

  • I love the message that the Disney Princesses portray to our children, male or female. I also love that each one has a special story that our kids can learn from.

  • I encouraged my boys to dream big by never giving up. My oldest got into all the colleges he applied except for two but only because he listed a different major for those. My youngest will be pursuing his dream of a military career.

  • Disney is always doing the coolest things. Your daughter looks like she is having a lovely time. I am having Disney withdraws I can’t wait to go back.

  • My girls are big fans of the Disney princesses too! Love how many positive messages there are with all of the characters. We love Rapunzel’s daring nature.

  • As a parent I hope I am instilling my kids with The confidence and support to follow their passion whether it be academic or a hobby they love. I think a parent’s job is to do everything in their power to give their kids roots but wings as well!

  • Disney movies to show the kids great ways of dreaming big and how to over come so many different things in life. I believe it is important that children learn how to dream big and set goals that they can achieve. Thanks for sharing your big dreams and your experiences.

  • I have always encouraged my kids to dream big. My daughter wants to be a teacher and help other kids with hearing difficulties. She is currently following one of her dreams by going off to college in DC.

  • We’re on the exact same page here, my friend. I have two girls and the princesses have always been an inspiration to teach our girls to dream bigger. I want them to know that no dream is too big and they can do anything they set their minds to. I see you believe the exact same way. You’re doing it right, mama.

  • I had no idea Disney was doing this to inspire girls. How wonderful. I love to encourage my kids to dream big so they can find out what they want in life.

  • its a very nice of you to encourage your daughters to always dream big, every child deserve that! your daughters are all pretty! they have a good smile!

  • It is amazing the influence Disney characters can have on our lives!! I love this, so important to encourage kids to follow and achieve their dreams.

  • I always encourage not only my son to dream big, but even my nieces and nephews. I dreamed big myself when I was young and made it all happen. 🙂

  • Pretty nice post. I also encourage my son to dream big. What a cute angels you have! Very adorable. Thank you, Heather, for sharing this:)

  • Wow! It was a great read. Yes, I agree with you that every kid has a dream of what he wants to be when he grows up, even I had. With the amazing access to technology we now have, we can make sure that wish come true for our kids. We can plan to record our kids dreams and goals regularly and keep them alive for the future.

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