Tuesday, April 26, 2011

My Princess Boy: BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Back in January I came across a video of Cheryl Kilodavis and her son Dyson being interviewed on the Today Show. I watched with rapt interest as Cheryl described her son as "her princess boy," because of his love of all things pink and frilly. Not only did Cheryl fiercely defend Dyson and his choices, but she went a step further, writing a book to help in the battle for tolerance and understanding.

Cheryl's book, My Princess Boy, is a short and sweet reminder that while we're all different, we all want to be accepted just the same as anyone else.

My Princess Boy - by Cheryl Kilodavis

Stumbling upon that clip was more than serendipitous, as I had been working on a post about my own princess boy. It was both comforting and reassuring to see that there were other mamas out there who had similar boys and were just as proud of them as I am of EZ.

As time went by, I was happy to see Cheryl on a few more talk shows and websites, promoting not only her book, but the message of acceptance. I was encouraged by Cheryl's story and was so happy to see more dialogue about breaking down stereotypical gender boxes, even if it wasn't neccessarily couched in those terms.

Then, as luck would have it, about a month or so ago, I somehow finagled myself an interview with Cheryl as part of some research I was doing for an upcoming article. Through a flurry of emails with her publicists, we settled on a time and I eagerly awaited our phone date. I had no idea what to expect and what we would talk about beyond the few questions I had for her.

Two hours (and 3 dropped calls) later, I had not only interviewed somebody I deeply respected, but I had gained a friend in the process.

In the world of parenting it can be hard to find folks that share similar thoughts and values, and it can be even harder to find ones that speak so freely and so loudly about them. My Princess Boy is the perfect was to easily share those ideals in a simple, yet powerful manner.

If you haven't yet had a chance to check this book out, now is the time to do so! I am offering up a free book giveaway for one copy of My Princess Boy. With colorful drawings and a beautiful message, this book is a must-have for those who want to continue to spread the message about unconditional friendship, differences and acceptance. Perhaps you know a Princess Boy in your life or just like to read about princesses in general.

HOW TO ENTER: All you need to do is comment below by Saturday, April 30th. I will randomly select one comment on May 1st as the winner and you will receive a hard copy of My Princess Boy soon after.

*Also - while bits and pieces of my interview with Cheryl made it into the article I've written, there was so much more from our chat that I wanted to share, and will be writing up a good chunk of it to post later this week. I found our talk inspiring, and think you will as well, and I hope you come back to check it out!

5 comments:

Nikki said...

My sister & I talk about gender roles quite a bit since she has two boys and I have two girls. It's unfair that girls are allowed to explore both "girl" and "boy" activities while boys are criticized, often by their own fathers, for playing with "girl" toys. This book looks great. Especially for someone like my nephew who was very excited to tell me about how he can't wait to take dance classes like his mommy did.

rjs said...

As the proud mom of a princess boy who will have to contend with some serious resistance within our small community (I already get comments from other moms at preschool [preschool!] about his pink socks) I so appreciate the fact that there are resources out there to help support our kids growing up to be exactly who they are (and getting to be kids in the meantime).

Becky said...

I don't know if my little boy will be a princess boy or not, but I'm excited to support and encourage him either way. I love looking for opportunities to teach my kids about differences in others and how to celebrate them.

writermeeg said...

I found you through Deborah Siegel and I am so glad! My two-year-old son has been wearing his big sis's red sequined skirt and calling himself "ballet girl" (while also gripping a firefighter doll in his fist, mind you), literally, 24-7 for a month now! We LOVE it, and him, and whatever he wants to play with (well, except matches, of course...). Others, it seems, feel the need to comment, comfort (yes, comfort) or look askance at him - amazing. I've been thinking about writing about it, too! (Fellow mom-writer-feminist, www.mpk-ink.com.) Would love to connect with you, and to win this book! Thanks...

Sarah Buttenwieser said...

wow we just have such a long way to go. i'm glad we're heading in that direction, however slowly, however haltingly!