Bonjour Royal friends!
Welcome! I’m so thrilled you’re here. Not subscribed yet? Let’s stay connected! I’ll periodically send you fabulous happiness tips and princess adventures—delivered straight from my palace desk to your inbox. Plus grab a free gift. 👉🏼 Say yes to happpiness!
👑 Today’s Post: Mothering and Fathering Our Friends
In today’s post, I’m reflecting on something both ordinary and profound: the way life shifts when we lose the earthly counsel of our parents.
When the Crown of Counsel Passes
If we were lucky, our parents were our best advisors—the ones whose guidance we trusted because we knew it came wrapped in love. Yes, sometimes their “loving” advice felt a tad constraining (Do I really need a sweater in August, Mother?), but beneath it all was the certainty that their counsel came from wanting the best for us.
And then the cycle of life does what it always does. Our parents are no longer here on earth. We can talk to them in heaven, of course (and I do, regularly!), but the longing for their guidance remains. That’s when the crown of counsel passes—ready or not.
Becoming Our Own Parents
Here’s the lesson I’m learning: we must step up and become our own mothers and fathers, offering ourselves the good advice we once sought from them. My sister calls it “mothering ourselves.” I’d add “fathering ourselves” too—being the steady, loving voice that says, “You’ve got this.”
Extending the Circle to Friends
But the story doesn’t stop with us. We also need to become that counsel for our friends. As we grow older, our friends lose their parents too. And sometimes they need the kind of grounded, loving advice they once turned to their mom or dad for. If we’ve built trust in our friendships, we can step into that sacred space for each other—not to replace, but to continue the chain of care. You can see a short clip on mothering and fathering our friends here.
Friendship as Family
It’s an interesting shift, isn’t it? We realize that we don’t just need each other for swanky dinner parties, interesting book clubs, wing nights, fancy pance soirees, or long walks on ancient castle grounds. Or, as a dear princess friend of mine used to say, we don’t just need each other for ships and giggles. Okay, okay, I said it. But they weren’t ships.
Neigh neigh, (she said not horsin’ around) we need each other to help carry the mantle of wisdom, comfort, and guidance that once came from our parents. And when we show up for each other in that way, something quite extraordinary happens: friendship deepens into kinship. We become family not just in name but in function—the listening ear, the gentle nudge, the reassuring “you’re not alone.” In a sense, we expand the circle of parenthood, weaving a net of love wide enough to hold us all. Or if not all, the ones we want. Face it, there are some people you might not want in that net. In which case, the rule is fish or cut bait.
The Kingdom of Life
That, my friends, is how the kingdom of life continues with grace: by mothering and fathering each other, so none of us need journey alone.
May we all wear the crown of counsel with grace—for ourselves, and for each other.
Princess tip of the day: SUBSCRIBE to my FREE blog and join the royal court of positivity! You’ll get every happiness-boosting post periodically delivered straight from my palace desk to your inbox. Plus you’ll get a fabulous, princess-worthy FREE GIFT– a beautiful, exclusive, pdf downloadable of 24 of my most powerful motivational quotes to pump up positivity. Sunshine, sparkle, and smiles await!☀️💖👸🏻👑 👉🏼 Say yes to happpiness!
Royally Yours with love, laughter, and limitless joy,
👑 💋💫🏰
Princess Diane Von Brainisfried
x♥x♥x♥,
GET DAILY INSPIRATION! Download my FREE pdf printable poster, “24 Powerful Motivational Quotes to Pump Up Positivity!” with a FREE subscription to my periodic happiness lifestyle posts!
Dame Diane Uniman, Aka Princess Diane von Brainisfried, is an attorney turned motivational speaker, certified positive psychology life coach and award-winning writer. She wrote Bonjour, Breast Cancer-I’m Still Smiling…Wit, Wisdom, and Optimism for Beating the Breast Cancer Blues.