Are You Following Your Dreams?

Byljanning@dukemanorfarm.com


Remember when you were little and blowing out your birthday candles, closing your eyes as tight as you could while making a wish? And in that minute of darkness and determination to not tell anyone what you wished for (or else it wouldn’t come true), you saw those dreams come to life as you kept your eyes shut? Perhaps you saw that shiny new bicycle–the one with the big white basket with flowers all over it. Or maybe it was for a new best friend since your old one and her family moved to another state. Or better yet it was to be a princess. A princess that meets her prince charming and lives in a castle. A princess in a beautiful long blue dress.

Fast forward many years and several birthday cakes later, and our dreams begin to take shape. We are no longer a young child but an adult. Our dreams look different. We are now putting more thought and feeling into those treasured wishes. We start thinking about the circumstances and the price we must pay to live out those dreams. We start to have questions about those dreams. “What will it take? Do I have what I need? What if I fail? What if I succeed?”
And on the journey of life and our quest to fulfill our dreams, it’s here that we find our voice, who we are, and what we want. Standing up for what you want and giving it all you got. 

 I always tell my kids that they don’t always have to be the best at everything, just the best at trying. I also let them know that sometimes there are risks, sometimes there will be pain, sometimes we will need to do things that we are not good at or always comfortable doing, but these are the steps they must endure to reach those dreams. Dreams of a princess who meets her prince, lives in a castle and wears a long blue dress. 
Watching Disney’s The Little Mermaid gives my Princess Lily a chance to see how Ariel lived out her dream, how she found her voice, and how she found her prince. And although it is perfect for an aspiring princess, the movie is also perfect for the family as it reinforces the importance of following your dreams and not giving up on what you want. And what’s even better is that The Little Mermaid will be available on Blu-ray Combo Pack and HD digital on October 1st. You can always visit the Disney site here for more information or to pre-order your own copy!
So tell me, how do you encourage your children (young or old) to follow their dreams?  Just leave me a comment below for a chance to win a $50 Visa gift card and a Little Mermaid Diamond Edition Blu-ray Combo Pack!
PS–Do you think the handsome prince will like this princess, in her long blue dress, barefoot with dirty feet?

Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “”#SweepstakesEntry””; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post”
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 9/3/13 – 10/15/13.
Be sure to visit the Disney’s Little Mermaid page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Want Top This Top That delivered directly to your inbox?
It’s easy!  Just enter your e-mail address.
Enter your email address: Delivered by FeedBurner

Know someone who would like this? Share using:

Just a gal that loves to share my family, home decor, design and life around here in the country.... on my real life funny farm at Duke Manor

Similar Posts

154 Comments

  1. She is so sweet, Laura. My daughter is definitely in the princess phase right now. We just try to encourage her to try as well. She does take after her Dad though and always want to win. Guess that's why Wynn is the perfect name for her. 🙂

  2. As a mother to a 30, 32 and 34 year old, I have discovered encouraging words don't stop just because your children have grown. On a daily basis I find myself offering encouraging words about their careers, marriages and roles as mothers – all with the same underlying message of being the best they can be.

  8. Your princess is lovely…dirty feet and all! I am the mother of a 25, 29, and 30 year old…and mothering doesn't stop, it's just different! But, I'm always encouraging…I'm their biggest cheerleader! I've always told them they can do anything they set their mind to! 😉

  9. Love love love this post and your little princess is picture perfect beautiful…but the feet…oh those little muddy feet just make my heart happy and I smile out loud!!!! My kids are a little bit older…so now the dreams are when I am the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and when I become the Head Baseball Historian of the world…both dreams…IN REACH!!!! We support and encourage our kids ALWAYS…from the first day they were born and that will never change. I guess giving birth to children that had pinstriped blood (for those that don't understand…we are YANKEE Fans…to the death) and all those art appreciation classes where their friend went on their backs and painted stucko boards with oil paints pretending to me michelangelo really made an impression : ) Sending hugs to you and yours… your children will reach their dreams and have tons of fun dreaming along the way…you rock! hugs…

  13. I have encouraged my children and other young people that they can live their dreams by giving them my positive example. One young woman was the first female fire fighter in her area, another entered the military and is now serving our country. Seems young people are attracted to me and I focus always on the positive and the possibilities. nancythedove@aol.com

  14. I'm always trying to encourage my daughters. More so by agreeing with whatever new endevor they're undertaking. I tell them what a great idea it is. Also with my youngest daughter I tell her all the time you have to look at the big picture. They both value my opinion and thats more than enough for me. Both are great human beings!

  15. Laura – What a very beautiful little princess you have there…her whole life ahead of her to find her Prince Charming….to make and execute plans that will bring her to her "castle". I so love to encourage my grandkids to dream big-to believe that they can be anything they want to be-if they want it bad enough. I have one that wants to be a doctor and has talked about it since she was three because she wants to "fix" people. Oh-to see her achieve her dreams is one of the desires of my heart.
    Great post, Laura. I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week-= xo Diana

  18. How priceless!!! I just know your little princess will find and follow her dreams! I hope she always wants to wear the beautiful gown and get her feet all dirty at the same time……that's living!! 🙂 ~~Angela

  21. I am encouraging my son (who has a mild form of Asperger's) to go for his Masters/PhD in Nanotechnology when we didn't think he would even get through undergrad. My daughter, the small-town girl, is living on her own in NYC and not asking for a dime. I never wanted my kids to think there were limits, self-imposed or otherwise, the way my mother limited me. The world is their oyster…all they have to do is shuck it!

  22. Such a sweet post and such a sweet little doll! My daughter was all about the "blue" princess dress too when she was that age! Cherish those moments, my friend. Cherish those moments …

    🙂 Linda

  24. I encourage my son by constantly telling him that he can do whatever he wants if he works hard and follows his passions.

    Thanks for the chance to win!
    wildorchid985 at gmail dot com

  25. Our only advice to our son was to be happy in what he wanted to do in life…Life is too short to be unhappy…and whatever direction he decided to take his life in…we were there to be his biggest supporters….and we still are…I know that you and your hubby are the greatest of parents…as your children are so very happy!

  26. I have always encouraged my kids to try new things by involving them as I have tried new things. Many times they have been my assistants in various endeavors and at other times I have been their assistant.

  27. I have a 2 year old and a newborn so I love telling them stories where someone or something(it's usually a tractor these days) did something that they thought they couldn't do. Hopefully they will take that to heart when they are following their dreams even though it may be hard at times.

  28. My daughter, who just turned 4 a few days ago, loves art and music so I encourage her to be creative and I have her enrolled in ballet class.

    mami2jcn at gmail dot com

  29. I'm so childish that when I watch children movies I'm always fearful of the heroine not having what she wants – and deserves! – of how tough it is and many battles there is to achieve your goal.
    My kids from very young age are the ones encouraging me to wait for the end of the movie because all it will be worth ahahahah and I guess that's the best teaching I can give them. To show they can trust more, better than I do. And they do.
    She's precious, Laura. And I hope she finds her Handsome Prince with biggest Heart ever. She deserves. And by this photoshooting she not even has to show skin (hints to Kate 😉 ahahahah). She's growing to be gorgeous and generous as all the Women in your Family are. With so many GodMothers how could she head but for utter Happiness and Success Life?!
    Thank you for sharing your Blessings,
    Teresa

  33. I have a 2 1/2 year old boy and a 6 month old girl. I encourage my son and when he gets frustrated about something, I tell him to try it again and that it's okay if things don't always go the way you want them to. I praise him when he does something himself and tell him that he's smart and that he's a good boy. My husband and I both agree we want them to try new things in school and get involved in something-it doesn't matter if it's sports, music, art…just that they have those experiences is important. I want them to learn that anything is possible and they can be anything that they want to be.

  36. I encourage my kids to follow their dreams by helping them learn about their interests. We often visit the library, watch youtube videos, etc about whatever they are fascinated with. Sometimes their interests are short lived and sometimes they are long term but either way they know their parents are interested and supportive. Thanks for the chance to win!
    mrsmchappell at gmail dot com

  38. How darling! I encourage my children to follow their dreams by emphasizing that everyone is unique, and we should embrace our difference and do the things we love to do regardless of what other people think. 🙂

    aprilgilbertson(at)gmail(dot)com

  41. I always tell my children to be the best they can be and I encourage them to try new things and that they can do whatever they put their minds to.

    s2s2 at Comcast dot net

  46. Our children are very young still but we encourage them to find their own voices through play, imagination and most importantly through showing love. My younger son has such a sense of freedom to be himself that he breaks into dance wherever he is! We want them to know they can be anything they want to be if they work hard enough and follow their dreams.

    mummytotwoboys@yahoo.com

  51. Delightful post! I love Disney!! We were frequent visitors there when my daughter was growing up. I encouraged her to follow her dreams by exposing her to everything I could. We didn't have a lot of money, but we sure had a lot of fun adventures and learning experiences. As a single mom on a very tight shoestring, my hope was to lead by example and show her that 'the world was her oyster'!

  55. I never tell my daughter something she wants to do is impossible. And she's smart enough that I don't believe anything is anyway. 🙂

    chambanachik(at)gmail(dot)com

  56. Your little princess is very pretty and will one day find her prince. I always say encouraging and always speaking positive words. It's so important to let them know nothing is impossible.
    tweety800265(at)yahoo(dot)com

  59. She is adorable…yes, I'm sure there are princes out there don't mind the dirty feet! 🙂
    I always encourage my kids that don’t be afraid to make mistakes. They can always learn from that and never gives up in what they’re passionate about and their dream will come true one day!

    amy [at] utry [dot] it

  73. I give a ton of encouragement and also impose limitations so that they are at least on a good path.
    tamarsweeps-at-gmail-dot-com

  75. I try to support my child in whatever she dreams by providing encouragement, and any help that I can. We also talk often about how hard work is what makes dream come true.

  78. I encourage my kids to follow their dreams by supporting their ideas and the things they want to do. We work together to find a way to make the things happen that they want. At the same time, we instill realistic limits. We can't fly into today, but if we study hard and work at it, we can get into NASA in the future and fly to space then 🙂 You can have what you want, you just have to find a way to make it happen 🙂

    anastasia2013@gmail.com

  83. I encourage them to follow their dreams by signing them up for activities they are interested in, and letting them know they can pursue anything they want to
    stigay at Comcast.net

  98. I support them, encourage their creativity, and try to give them the best tools that they need to follow their dreams and interest.

    hafner611{AT}gmail{DOT}com

    ps. I'm married to a prince and he doesn't mind that his princess hate shoes even outside 🙂

  101. My daughter love dinosaurs and dragons. She wants to be a paleontologist when she 'grows up.' I encourage her as much as possible. We recently brought her to dinosaur world and she now pretends to be the guide who educated us on the tour. Whenever she is discouraged about school work I remind her that if she cannot read or preform math then she will not be able to account for new spices or measure bones!

    halliekaye at gmail

  105. I encourage them to give everything a try once and if they like it then we stick with it and try to help them reach their goal or dream.

  112. I encourage her to follow her interests, she knows she can do anything she wants to through hard work. And anything that is truely something you want is worth it. I support her in anything and everything.

  113. My 25 yo daughter's first- and favorite!- disney movie. We watch it twice a year to remember her childhood and the message that you can be your own person despite what your parents want!

  114. I encourage our children to try new things so they have the opportunity to discover what they really love.

    willitara [at] gmail [dot] com

  121. I encourage my children to follow their dreams by supporting them in all their in school and after school activities and helping suggest new activities to inspire them.
    lisalmg25 at gmail dot com

  129. I currently have no children, although I very much hope that we will be blessed soon. In the mean time, I'm in school to become a teacher and plan to encourage my students to follow their dreams… I will encourage them to work on their weaknesses nicely and will definitely support them in their strengths and encourage them to truly grow within these strengths.

  130. I try to encourage my boys through example. I always try to show them that the only thing that can hold them back is their own imagination. If they believe in something than their is always a way to make it happen they just have to want it enough to make that dream come true.

  131. Self-sufficiency is important to us. While we certainly provide encouragement and support, letting the child direct their attention and interest (at least for big thinking and dreaming) is import to us so they can find if they really have a strong interest in a topic or dream.

  132. I have always encouraged our children to dream big and reach for the stars. When they find something they like we all focus our attention on it as to help them follow their dreams!

    susansmoaks at gmail dot com

  133. I think you have to know when to keep your mouth shut and when to offer a warning based on reality and not fear or bias. Support all their dreams, even if they don't make you happy, as long as they are based in reality and safe. Your kids need to know they can tell you anything and not be judged.
    Angie
    14earth at gmail dot com

  136. I like to share stories of inspirational people with them. Ones who have succeeded against any obstacles to live their dreams. I let them know that even someone who is the best at what they do, was not great at first try. I expose them to as many activities as possible, and make sure they give them a good try. Yet, if their heart isn’t in it- I don’t push. I make sure they don’t feel they have failed. That everyone is different, and valuable, in their own way.

    fatesfrost@gmail.com

  147. I encourage my boys to follow their hearts and try to achieve their dreams. I let them know it’s okay to fail sometimes, because the only true failure is to never have tried.

Comments are closed.