My two year old doesn't like Frozen - Katie

My 2 year old daughter doesn't seem to like the things other children her age are into. For example, she has no interest in Frozen and seems to be the only child in the world who doesn't have a Princess Elsa dress! She prefers animals, especially cats. Is this normal and should I be encouraging her to fit in more with the other children? I'm worried about what will happen when she starts school. - Katie 

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Katie, if your child does not like Frozen what you need to do is fall to your knees and thank each and every deity known to man for the good fortune that has been bestowed upon you. I mean for reals, you must have been a martyr in a previous life or maybe a sewer rat? Stop playing the lottery because your chips have been cashed in. If your child does not like Frozen you are one of life's winners and I speak for all parents everywhere when I say, let it go. 

This isn't just about Frozen though, this is about your desire for your child to comparable to other children. Some telltale markers to confirm that you are raising someone that will become a functioning member of society. I think this might be primal on some level. The sheep born with a hot pink fleece is gonna be the first chappie picked off by a mountain lion. Assimilation means safety and safety means your doing you're job. 

I'm going to speak from personal experience but I think I also speak for a vast swathe of Generation Y when I say that being told that you must be the same as everyone else but also a very special snowflake is very confusing. It makes it harder to hold firm to an identity, you start searching for a sense of self in the wrong places. Do you want a child that watches too much reality TV and over shares on the Internet?

No I didn't think so. So no, you should not be worried about your child not enjoying the stereotypical pursuits society has tried to foist upon her, you should celebrate. Of course telling a parent not to worry is like asking a toddler to whisper - they'll claim they're trying but they're just shouting in a husky voice. Just worry away, worry all night if it fulfils some motherly urge but the mission is, under no circumstances let your daughter know that you're worried. As far as she should be concerned the fact that she has different tastes are just part of the wonderful tapestry of things that make her all the more lovable. Mold her into someone that values herself, not by comparison to others but by how true she is to herself. Who knows what will happen at school? School is The Hunger Games in woolly tights. There is nothing you can give her to arm herself but confidence and knowledge of who she is. And if who she is involves somehow managing to resist the crack cocaine in animation form that is Frozen, she sounds like a special little girl to me.

This question came from Katie Keith, who writes the blog Best Toys for 2 Year Old. She is also Operations Director at WordPress web design agency Barn2 Media. Head back over on Sunday when Katie will be guest posting about toys that help two year olds play independently.

Do you have a girl who doesn't want to be a princess?

                               photo credit: Frozen | Into the Magic via photopin (license)