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Hi! I am a new blogger to Mormon Momma. I love classical music, space heaters, and watermelon (love it!) I dislike exercising, but do it anyway; and washing mini blinds (don't do). I am the wife of one truly patient man and the mother of ten beautiful children (who at times truly test my patience). Yes, ten! I have borne seven of these, adopted three (two still in the process), and buried one. For twenty years (nearly half of my life), I have been blessed with moments large and small (thus my blog title, MOMents) that have shown me how much God truly loves His children and the mothers of those children. Blogging is my attempt to combine my three great loves: God, motherhood, and writing. (Of course, my husband is included in that list, I wouldn't be much of a mother without him!) So here goes nothing (ha!). Happy reading…

Confessions of a Princess

Because I have a four-year-old daughter, I live in a world of fairies and butterflies and especially, princesses. I would guess at one time or another most little girls and grown women have yearned for the life of a princess filled with tiaras, jewels, sparkles, and frills. My four-year-old daughter is no different; she loves all of the above in shades of pink. Admittedly, my forty-year-old self admires those same things; and yet I relate better to Mulan than Cinderella. Maybe it is because Mulan, like me, doesn't wear a crown or sparkling heels. Perhaps it is because Mulan is not always overwhelmingly patient and positive, and doesn't sing while mopping the floor. Or maybe it is because try as she might to be the “perfect” daughter, Mulan finds herself making mistake after mistake. (That I can definitely relate to!)

This week-end, after a wonderful, yet sometimes trying week of having my children home from school, I found myself muddling around trying to be the “perfect” mother. In the end, I didn't measure up so well. Whereas, Mulan's mistakes included stealing her father's sword, impersonating a soldier, and blowing up a castle; my mishap included blowing a great day with my family by being impatient with my sassy teenager, ripping up my March madness bracket (don't ask), and being very late for a church meeting…all bad examples coming from a mother. I then wasted several hours not forgiving myself for my lack of patience and positive, princess attitude. The wasted hours could have simply equaled the two-minute bad mother MOMent, had I just remembered a lesson from Mulan's father.

After all of Mulan's mistakes—the stolen sword, the fake identity, the blown up castle, not to mention the worry she put her parents through—when she does return home, her father tenderly looks upon her and replies: “The greatest gift and honor is having you for a daughter.”

I love that scene, no matter how many times I've seen it. Her father's words remind me of how God must see me. Despite the fact that at times I'm impatient, that I sometimes pout, that I'm late to church, and occasionally dampen a perfectly good day of family-togetherness; God still views me as one of His greatest gifts. Though I can't always see the princess inside me, He can.

Recently, I took my princess-loving four-year-old shopping for some new summer clothes. She found a flowered skirt she loved that twirled. It was a size too big and I couldn't find a shirt that matched it so, despite it being a great price, it got left behind at the store. On the way home, my daughter asked me about the skirt. I told her the reasons why I didn't buy it. She didn't agree with my reasoning. After all, she just wanted it for dress up. “When you play dress-up your clothes don't have to match,” she said. “You just put on clothes you like and you're a princess!”

Wish I'd understood that all these years. I certainly could have saved a lot of time and stress in front of the mirror. Still, maybe there is some truth to it. Maybe it's not so much on how we view ourselves, but being able to see ourselves as God views us that matters.

So put on a smile (even when you don't feel like it). Dabble on some perfume (that way even if your attitude stinks, at least you'll smell sweet). Throw on a skirt or jeans, some flip-flops or boots, or even an old t-shirt and sweats (they don't even have to match, though pink seems to help). Throw together a great day or even a so-so day. Make a few mistakes, shrug them off and move on. For as we come to understand our true relationship with our Father above, we also understand our worth despite our shortcomings. God is indeed the King of Heaven and Earth. So even though we muddle around in our role as mothers of children, we are in actuality daughters of a King…even princesses!

Alison Moore Smith is a 61-year-old entrepreneur who graduated from BYU in 1987. She has been (very happily) married to Samuel M. Smith for 40 years. They are parents of six incredible children and grandparents to two astounding grandsons. She is the author of The 7 Success Habits of Homeschoolers.