Photo: TikTok
One mom’s open-minded decision makes her daughter’s Disney trip magical.
By Hawthorn Martin — Written on Mar 01, 2023
For every kid, Disney is a place where magic is brought to life, and dreams come true.
For one family in particular, a moment of that magical joy was caught on camera.
Jessica Skube, a mom who documents the life of her family on TikTok, shared a beautiful moment that she and her daughter Lilia experienced on board the Disney Wish, a cruise line ship.
On board, Lilia was going to receive a makeover from the Bibbidi Boppidi Boutique, a boutique where girls can be transformed into the princesses of their dreams.
However, halfway through a transformation into Princess Jasmine, Lilia shared something that her mom never expected, "She realized who she really wanted to be.”
Lilia wanted her makeover to turn her into a Disney prince and not a princess.
Lilia had done the Bibbidi Boppidi Boutique experience before when she was younger, but since the experience was only available for kids up to age twelve, the family thought it would be fun to do it one more time before Lilia aged out.
“She was excited to do it one last time," Jessica told People magazine. "However, this time, before we even walked in, she pointed out the Prince Charming costume and asked if it would be an option for girls to wear.”
Jessica was surprised since Lilia had only ever wanted to wear princess outfits, but she told her daughter that she could choose whichever she wanted.
Lilia initially decided against the Prince package, because it didn’t come with the hair and makeup experience that she wanted, and chose Princess Jasmine.
The Jasmine makeover was a beautiful one, but ultimately, it didn’t give Lilia the magic she was looking for.
"When she was about halfway through the makeover, I remember her looking at me and saying, 'Mom, I think I really want to be a Prince instead.'”
Lilia then got to change her look from Princess Jasmine to Prince Charming, and the joy that came over her was immediately worth it.
“I LOVE this! I'm in LOVE with this,” she kept repeating as she bounced around in joy, twirling her cape for her mom’s cameras.
She kept wearing the outfit for the entire night, happily and proudly showing it off to everyone around, without a care in the world as to how anyone thought of her.
"She has always been loud and proud about who she is," Jessica said. "So I can't say I'm completely surprised by her choice."
"But seeing her fight for who she truly is and in the prince outfit, I'm the proudest mom ever!"
Comments on Jessica’s TikTok page are flooded with support for the family.
“U can tell how much more confident she was in the Prince Charming outfit,” one user wrote.
“SHE LOOKS SO DASHING!!” added another.
Many people are pointing out the clear shift in Lilia’s body language once she dons the Charming outfit, noting how much wider her smile gets, and how comfortable she is showing off.
Others are drawing attention to the open-mindedness of Jessica’s parenting, saying that she has created a safe space for her daughter to be honest about what she wants, even when it’s outside the norm.
One user wrote, “As someone who didn’t have the courage to be myself until my 30s, I’m so glad that Gen Alpha is being given the space to figure themselves out.”
Another agreed, saying “The fact that she was comfortable enough to tell you what she wanted, means you’re doing amazing at being a mother. Unconditional love.”
Hawthorn Martin is a news and entertainment writer living in Texas. They focus on social justice, pop culture, and human interest stories.