The Legacy of the Elenas
This is part of a sponsored collaboration with DiMe Media and Disney Channel. However, all opinions expressed are my own. I heard the words Elena of Avalor for the first time last summer. Immediately, my heart filled with joy. You see, I already have 2 royals named Elena in my lineage.
Meet Elena 1.0 & Elena 2.0. The loves of my life. As a namesake, I think that the Frog Princess is already embodying so much of my mother.
Mami was the very first female that modeled leadership for me. In so many different ways. You see, Mami was a feminist. Though I feel like she’d never use that word (and indeed, I don’t think she ever uttered the phrase to describe herself in her 64 years of life), it described her perfectly.
It’s how I came to feel like I was seeing my young & adventurous Mami in my TV. Abuela used to recount the stories of “Elena como niña” and I now look back and wonder if a Zuzo was writing the stories down to add a touch of Disney magic at a later date and bring her to life once again.
From standing up to children on the playground even though she was the smallest kid in her class to helping her mom and family as she grew up. Mami molded me in many ways and now, I get to mold my very own Elena.
The fun part is getting to see friendship, valor, love of family and courage displayed on the small screen. Seeing an independent princess that is taking responsibility while learning the ropes on her way to leading her kingdom is refreshing and inspiring.
The Frog Princess hasn’t stopped talking about it. Seriously, she woke up and squealed “I’m so excited!” on Friday morning. Let the record show that my child has also been telling anyone that will listen that the new Disney Princess is named after her. LAWD!
Friday was definitely a special moment in this household and our friends made it that much more special. We had such a blast at our watch party!
Can you guess how many times we’ve watched the episodes that aired on Friday? Enough for me to tell you that I have my eye on that Esteban and that I am here for Don Francisco and his guitar! Yassss! It reminded me of Mami’s love of music. She always wanted to learn to play the guitar.
I’m feeling all kinds of verklempt about this show, y’all. I must confess that I watched once without the Frog Princess and may or may not have gotten teary eyed. Disney is part of this familia so it’s extra special to be able to see a brown girl on the television with my girl’s name.
Bragging moment: I asked this kid to help with the unboxing of our party supplies. She did not disappoint!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfFP5cM2XwU
My favorite thing in that box has got to be this beautiful print:
It reads:
Fearless heroine ready to rule with grace and compassion. Brave protector embarking on magical adventures with familia, friends and royal scepter. Crown princess of Avalor.
Every last Mami that picked this up awed at it. I think those words strike us equally, right? It reminds us of those that came before us and made us who we are today and in the same thread, it helps us look forward to the seeds we are planting today. Our very own fearless heroines.
Did you get a chance to check out Elena of Avalor? I’ve got more popcorn on deck for Friday at 7 p.m. ET! We'll be watching on the Disney Channel. Will you?
