Princess Daydreams

I went through a childhood stage where I had this sneaking suspicion I didn’t belong in my family. I think it came from a Waltons episode where somebody in patched overalls or a shabby calico dress discovered a family secret and John Boy or somebody on Waltons’ Mountain helped them through it. I was sure that one fateful day I’d be looking through an old Bible and a yellowed birth certificate would flutter out or I’d glance into an open hope chest and see the corner of some incriminating letter, and life as I knew it would change. I vacillated between being upset over the idea and fascinated by its implications. My parents could have pulled it off since I was the oldest with no older siblings to blow their cover. Really, when they tell stories of my arrival, it could all be fabricated, right? And if I’m not truly their daughter, I could be anybody--even a princess. Maybe my real home is a castle with a giant canopy bed and elaborate rosebush mazes. Hey, a girl can dream, can’t she? But the chances are slim. When I look into my brothers’ faces, I see my own. Every so often I catch my reflection in the rearview mirror and see my dad’s furrowed brow. For better or for worse, I belong to them. In Carol Diggory Shields’ I Am Really A Princess, daydreams of regal origin captivate one little girl--until she realizes bedtime stories are better than castles and moats.

http://www.amazon.com/Am-Really-Princess-Picture-Puffins/dp/0140558578

http://www.librarything.com/author/shieldscaroldiggory