Dream Big...but not really

As i stroll through well known kids clothing stores, i see shirts with the well known saying on them "Dream Big". And I've also heard it said that "kids will do what we do, not what we say." if this is true, do we as parents "Dream Big?" or do we just "get by, make ends meet, pay the bills, clean the house, stop daydreaming, get real, be realistic, get a good education, find a job, get in debt...?" A heavy topic to think about but one that needs to be reflected on if we embellish clothes and decorative items with these 2 words that can mean so much but seem to just be...well... a dream.
When our children are young, they're imaginations run wild. My 3 year old asks me probably 10x a day to play with her by stating 2 simple things..." i'll be the (fill in the blank) and you be the (fill in the blank) quite often these are mom, baby, doctor, ballerina, or princess. And while I would never say to her, "you'll never be a ballerina or a princess." isn't that what we are thinking sometimes? Oh these are just games, it's just fun, aren't they so cute...
Instead i've decided to tell my kids they can be anything they want to be and do anything they want to do. Success is just a mindset. half the crap we are trying to overcome as adults are the stupid things people told us as children. If we were told all positive things as kids, we wouldn't believe any different. The problem is most people will never achieve their dreams because they believe what they have been told. So this little saying "Dream Big" means more than just a tshirt. it can be life changing and truly teach us to lead by example. After all, I'm sure Kate Middleton's mom played princess with her when she was a girl. The words that she said to her daughter and the example that she set, we may never know. But I have to believe that somewhere throughout her life, she did Dream Big and wasn't shown anything otherwise because she did manage to attract the likes a very well known real life Prince who saw something in her that warranted his affection and belief in her.  And now she has a title of royalty.

So pardon me, while I end this post to go play a game of "you be the princess" with my daughter.