Princess!?

As I sit here writing this I am curled up on the couch with Mike and Evelyn watching Beauty and the Beast because Miss E has requested a "Princess movie". I am astounded at the young age of two she already knows and loves what princesses are. Mike and I have never taught her what princesses are. In fact, we have spent a lot of time exposing her to all sorts of things in hopes of avoiding the little girl princess syndrome. We honestly thought we were safe when a few months back Evelyn fell in love with 'Cars' and 'Toy Story'. In the Disney Store recently she picked Buzz up and said 'I love you boyfriend Buzz'. Now suddenly we are faced with a girly girl who asks for princess movies and princess clothes and only wants to wear purple.

I am curious...do you, as parents, expose your children to the "gender specific" colors, toys, games and so on?? Or do you allow your child to explore what they want without concern??

Evelyn has been girly since she came out of the womb. She has from the start loved jewelry, dresses and high heels. We have an abundance of photos of her loaded up with costume jewelry and wandering the house in nothing but a pair of my heels. Each day when getting dressed Evelyn has a strong opinion about what she should/shouldn't wear. As of late, the color purple is a strong asset. I wonder, am I encouraging this behaviour or is it something inside of her that needs no encouraging? I remember babysitting my brother at a young age with my sisters and my parents coming home to Kurt dressed in our baby clothes singing and dancing. Kurt seems perfectly masculine to me now, aside from the butt bongoes he likes to play on Mike and my brother in law (sorry Kurt, I couldn't resist). I am sure Evelyn's girly girl clothes and behaviour won't slow her down as a strong independent woman in her adulthood but one wonders how long this will last...