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Are traditional fairy tales too scary for kids?

Posted by calais50 • 1/14/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: fairy tales

When I was growing up, fairy tales were told (including books)the old fashioned way-violent and uncensored. I have noticed that these days, fairy tales are "cleaned up," i.e. violence and scarier aspects are removed. I think this is, on the whole, a good thing. For example, modern fairy tale books say the wolf in the 3 pigs story ran away after landing in the pot of hot water, instead of being cut open and 2 of the pigs removed from his stomach.

When I tell my kids fairy tales (ages 4 and 6), I tell them the cleaned up versions. My mother, on the other hand, read my kids a traditional version of "Hansel and Gretel." Now, my son is afraid and follows me around everywhere because he is afraid of the child-eating witch and the parents who left their kids in the woods on purpose (2 very scary things for a kid to ponder, I think!)

What are your thoughts?

User Comments

1/14/09

acousticguitarist

yes I think so, there's so much programming in there.

I used to read my kids bible stories when they were young, and eventually I thought that the imagery was so bad and counterproductive, i gave up on it

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1/14/09

bladeaxe4

my kid's not scared of anyone, im 20 and he's imaginary 4 year old non-existing troll !

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1. 1/14/09
  
  bladeaxe4
  
  u cant change the whole world with modifications !
1/14/09

amitchopra22

no, scary stories should not be told to the kids. we should tell them how to becom brave.
how should the life should be devoted to work,love ones, family and to the country.
what i tell to kids.

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1/14/09

SweetViolet

The old fairy tales are morality tales. The bad guys always lose in the end, the good guys win. The good guys often have to go up against some powerful odds and do scary things in order to win, but courage and resourcefulness win the day, no matter HOW hideous, powerful, or violent the opponents. Learning these stories are ways for children to learn about life through allegory: Hansel & Gretel: you must be brave, resourceful, and not give up if you are to succeed; The Little Mermaid (Anderson's original) and King Midas: there are consequences to pay for your choices; David & Goliath: cleverness and skill can win over brute force. There are tales that illustrate the reasons it is good to obey your parents, the bad outcomes of lying or cheating or being selfish and vain...but the stories lose their impact if you water down the villians because the children now see nothing significant in overcoming them.

Children are meant to identify with the protagonists in the story, but it is incumbent upon the reader to make sure the children understand that the story is make-believe. That can be done by giving the child's name to the protagonist and emphasizing his triumph over the villain.

I don't think they should be changed. I think we should stop thinking of our children as fragile little creatures whose psyches will be shattered by the very same experiences that helped shape the ethics and morality of previous generations.

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