…In a Far, Far Away Kingdom 👸🏻
In the kingdom of Washington, DC, there lived a beautiful, brave, brave princess. She had just entered teenagehood, and she lived with her loving parents, the King and Queen, her older brother, the Prince, and the royal pet, June, the collie-lab mix.
They lived a lovely, chaotic life, full of fun, stress, and productivity. They loved each other deeply, they had so much fun together, and life was beautiful, in its own way.
Until one day…
Her father, the handsome, kind, and amazing King, fell ill, and after a few years, he tragically died, leaving his family to carry on.
A dark cloud covered their kingdom.
The Queen, in a state of shock that lasted well beyond anybody’s expectations, did her best to keep life happening for the Princess and her brother, the Prince. She could hardly sleep at night, she was exhausted during the day, and she could barely function as a human, much less a royal. But every day, she chose to get up, put one foot in front of the other, and take in one breath at a time.
There was so much trauma, pain, and grief surrounding the beloved King’s passing that the Queen decided the only way through it was to face it head on. She joined every support group she could find and tried just about every kind of therapy available, for herself and for the children.
The Aftershocks 🫨
So many things stayed the same. So many more became completely different.
One thing the Queen was not ready for was the paralyzing fear that seemed to take over every part of her life.
She feared driving her royal carriage during rush hour. It felt like every car would crash into her.
She feared leaving her children behind. What if something happened to her? The thought broke her heart over and over again.
Panic attacks set in, bringing even more anxiety and trauma to the royal family.
The Princess also struggled with deep fear and separation anxiety. The world no longer felt safe. She didn’t want to be away from her mother. She didn’t want to go to school. Sleepovers did not seem fun anymore.
The Prince fell into a dark hole of depression and anger.
And it would take years to work through their feelings, to face the trauma, and to learn how to live with the loss and the absence of their beloved father and husband.
Then, one year, the royal middle school the Princess attended in the kingdom had the opportunity to travel to a tropical island on a class trip. The Princess really wanted to go, but there was so much anxiety around it. How would she get on a plane without her mother, the Queen? Whose hand was she going to hold during takeoff and landing? Could she do this? She really wanted to, but…
And then there was the Queen, with her own anxiety and fears.
She couldn’t, in good conscience, tell herself or her daughter that everything was going to be okay, that nothing would happen. Why? Because her worst fear had already come true.
Facing Their Fears 😰
Losing her husband had brought to the forefront the risks that had always been there, but had never really felt possible for the Queen and her family… right?
“Mama, I really want to go, but I’m scared. I’ve never been on a plane without you,” said the beautiful Princess.
“I know, baby,” the Queen replied. “Can I tell you a secret? I’m scared too. We have never traveled this far away from each other. But if you really want to go, we can’t let fear keep us from living our lives. Remember? Being brave is doing things scared.”
“Okay, Mama,” the Princess reluctantly agreed.
So began the quest to conquer their fears. To slay their dragons.
With the help of therapists, social workers, and many long talks, they decided to prepare for the Princess’s trip.
And then the day came.
They shopped. They packed. They woke up at the crack of dawn and the Queen dropped her daughter off at the royal airport.
“I am so proud of you, babe,” said the Queen. “I love you so much. You’re going to have so much fun. I am just so proud of you. You are a brave, brave Princess!”
The excitement took over their nerves, and just like that, they said goodbye with one kiss and a picture.
As the Queen drove away from the airport in her royal carriage, definitely not crying, she kept thinking about how proud she was of the Princess, who had just, at such a young age, pushed through one of her deepest fears.
And the Queen was also really f@*&%ng proud of herself, for choosing to live life, and for letting her children live theirs.
No one would ever really know how much this meant for them.
How big a life step this was. How monumental this declaration of faith was. What a huge step on their road to healing.
There was no happily ever after in this fairytale.
But there is a to be continued…
