Still a Princess?

Leah has officially entered the terrible twos. Ugh. My sweet, OBEDIENT little princess frequently (as in DAILY) tests my patience and challenges my authority. All too often, this means that I hardly feel (or act) like the queen; instead, the dragon that guards the castle emerges baring her teeth, lashing her tongue, and blowing fire. Not a pretty or welcoming picture. Despite my attempts to rein her in, she persists at the prodding of Princess Leah. 

Apparently the Princess is exercising her independence -- everywhere. At Target. At the grocery store. At church (though not in her class... I think not, anyway). At the photography studio. At home. Counting and time outs are the activities du jour. Even fun activities morph into discipline sessions. 

Case in point: We were playing outside the other day, and Leah found a stick. No big deal, since she often plays with them. The problem arose when it was time to go in. 

    "Leah, it's time to go inside. You can put the stick on the box or on the driveway, but you can't take it in."

   "I play with it one more time, and then go inside."

  "No, it's time to go inside now." At this point, Leah ran, determined to play with the stick "one more time". Ugh. Guess who emerged from the castle? Certainly not the queen in all her refinement.

Sometimes I feel as if these battles outweigh the sweet and funny moments with the Princess. Thankfully, when the King comes home, I can observe his interactions with the Princess, and am often reminded of her pleasant and endearing disposition (why is it that she complies with his requests?). 

Case in point: Leah tried on the Viking hat (fuzzy hat with horns) that Scott received for participating in the Warrior Dash. Her comment: "I a moose." 

So, is she still a princess when her behavior is most un-princess-like? Of course. Maybe the better question is, am I still a queen when my behavior is most un-queen-like?