The boys and I headed to our local library branch this weekend after deciding that a lazy Saturday was in order. The plan was to check out some new books and movies, prepare some yummy snacks and lounge around on the couch all day.

Finding a stack of books to read was a cinch — a colorful cover and catchy title is about all it takes for us to grab one off the shelves.

But when we hit the movie aisle, we ran into a little problem: We had already seen all the films that were 1) age-appropriate and 2) made for an audience of little boys. So I decided to take a little bit of a risk, and, no, I didn’t start edging toward the PG-13 section. I grabbed two movies that had action and adventure, sword fights, gun battles, even a fire-breathing dragon. Each also had a female lead who exhibits strength and courage despite the obstacles that stand in her way.

“Pocahontas” was the first flick we sat down for, bowls of popcorn at the ready. My 4-year-old couldn’t take his eyes off the Indian princess who brought peace between her tribe and the English settlers. Later in the day he watched “Mulan,” about a young Chinese girl who poses as a man to battle the evil Huns and save the empire.

I’ve always given my husband a hard time for not wanting our boys to wear pink or play with dolls, but as our mini film fest drew to a close, I realized I was putting the same stereotypes on my sons through what I allow them to read and watch. Our bookshelves are covered with stories about cars and trucks, dinosaurs and zoo animals, and our DVD collection is packed with the classics — “101 Dalmations,” “Jungle Book” and “Aladdin.” They’re surrounded by tales of boys and men who fight the bad guys and explore the wild — with not a tiara in sight.

By the end of the night, I was happy that both my boys could see that a princess can be just as brave as Pinocchio and independent as Peter Pan. She can be as tough as Tarzan and as smart as Robin Hood; she can rescue her Prince Charming and live happily ever after.