This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

When I became a father 7 years 4 days ago I had to learn a very important thing. I had to learn how to be a princess. When my beautiful baby girl was first placed in my arms I knew that there would be tea parties, dolls and many princess dresses ahead. I completely embraced that and am very knowledgeable about all of the Disney Princesses and their stories. I was very happy to find the #DisneyBeauties shop from #CollectiveBias and was very happy to be a selected to be a part of it. We haven’t been able to find Sleeping Beauty anywhere and that was one of those movies that we really wanted to share with Eva. To go and buy the Sleeping Beauty DVD out in Diamond Edition on Blu-ray, well that was perfect.

Walmart, where we bought the movie, had a Sleeping Beauty Diamond Edition DVD gift set. The gift set not only included the movie on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital it contained a second DVD that was all about fashion and creating a modern fashion inspired by the characters in this classic movie. It was a fun DVD for Eva because she is interested in her own style and fashion, so seeing how the girls found inspiration in Sleeping Beauty characters certainly perked up her imagination. Eva has a bunch of drawing tools to create and I think I’ll be seeing more character style inspired fashions in the weeks ahead.

In addition to the movie I purchased a bunch of Disney Princess toys and another fun backdrop so that we could do photo shoots. You’ve got to look your best while being a princess, you never know when an impromptu photo shoot might pop up. The backdrop was nice because it was so big and contained six popular Disney princesses.

One thing that I learned about being a princess was playing with dolls. Doll play is very important because while you play with dolls you learn what a princess really likes and how they behave with their friends. I’ve played dolls with Eva so much over the past seven years that I’ve learned what is most important to my own little princess. So playing and listening are big parts of how to be a princess.

Each year we attend a Renaissance Faire and Eva attends Princess School while she is there. they learn all sorts of things like how to curtsy and greet people. they also learn the values of kindness, helpfulness and responsibility. This year Eva made a very special gift for the Queen of the Faire. She did this all on her own without any prompting. We were leaving for the Faire and she hands me a heart that she made from Perler beads. “This is for the Queen”, she says. So when the time came to meet the Queen Eva walked right up and gave the Queen the heart that she had made. It really touched the Queen and me as well. The woman who portrays the Queen at the Faire even took the time to comment on this blog and tell us how much that heart meant to her. My daughter’s kindness and heart are what makes her a true princess.

While I picked up a bunch of Disney Princess toys, we also had a few of our own at the house. And by few I mean boxes. Eva has tons of dress up dresses. She has most of the princesses and was excited to wear her Princess Aurora dress for this shop. Having the right thing to wear is also big for those learning how to be a princess.

Having good manners is a mark of a good princess. We are lucky in that Eva has listened to us when we explain to her the importance of the “Thank you” or “Please” or “Excuse Me”. Common courtesy is no longer that common. Luckily princesses are uncommon and still exemplify courtesy.

A smile can brighten up someone’s day. Eva is quick with a smile and has always been one to make other people’s day. I attribute that to my wife who has volunteered for years at a retirement home to visit the elderly. She brought Eva with her for years and then Andrew. My children and wife spend time with people who need visitors and brighten their day. Eva knows her way around the place and is comfortable there with all of her friends in the 80+ crowd. So, I’d say that Allison has helped teach Eva how to be a princess but instilling that need to volunteer one’s time to help others. Giving of yourself is a mark of a princess.

In those quiet moments I observe how my daughter acts, how she plays, how she interacts with her friends and family. I see the mark of a princess on her, how she includes people, thinks of them and values them. I see her moments of quiet kindness and her displays of love. I know that she has so many qualities of a true princess.