How To Raise Your Baby Like A Royal

Kate Middleton is pregnant with the heir apparent to the throne of England. Bringing up baby to the manor born stirs up fairytales of happily every after and raising a blue blood. Here are some ideas to give your little one the royal advantage in life and love:

1. Safety. A prince and princess in the making need to know they are always safe to express, explore and make mistakes without ridicule, anger, fear or punishment. A future queen must rule with trust. Trusting herself because her needs are met means she will never rule in fear.

2. Confidence. To be royal means having complete confidence in your ability to make decisions and share with abundance. Ensure you child is encouraged to do things for himself, fall off the pony and get back on. Don't mock or belittle fears or tears. Acknowledge what comes up and support him getting back on that horse, doing it again until challenges are conquered. No one is born knowing how to do everything but a royal parent encourages self mastery through example and trust.

3. Resilience. Riding the carriage on parade day is more than looking pretty with a crown. Being receptive and pleasant demands physical and emotional strength that could include practicing in the pouring rain for hours on end. Fostering a leader requires firmness and a can-do attitude and mindset from both of you.  

4. Truth. Majestic behaviour is demanding. The best way to survive with grace is to foster honesty in the family. Be okay with hearing things from your children that make you squirm. Model and teach your children to speak from their own experience and not from judgement. Shutting up little ones encourages hiding, pretending and people pleasing that destroy nobility in most. Continue reading ...

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6. Love. This sounds obvious, right? Who doesn't love their royal offspring? Yet learning to love your child for exactly who they are is much harder than it sounds. Avoid comparing your child to someone else, finding fault or making them do things they clearly have no interest in. Get to know and appreciate your child as an individual. If your royal wee one knows that whatever he does he is enough, he will have the ability to rule with great compassion, no matter his kingdom or subjects.

7. Discipline. Supporting a leader means teaching her the mighty power of boundaries. Every castle has walls to keep the enemy at bay and a drawbridge to welcome guests. Respecting other people's property and rights as well as one's own is an essential Royal tool. Manners mean that your little one learns to break bread with anyone, without mockery or disdain.

Give your child respect for her boundaries and what she shares. Show her that everyone gets a turn to be seen and heard and set their own limits. Even a royal must share the bounty of the earth if her Queendom is to thrive. There is a huge difference between punishment and discipline. Get very clear on your boundaries and why discipline is needed and how you can handle it diplomatically.