Parents take a note: FairyTale Stories are not that good for Kids

Read out to your kids stories related to their passion. Fill your child’s mind with good thoughts before they go to bed. Help them to achieve their DREAMS

Majority of us parents have grown up reading Fairy tales and we truly loved it and at times imagined if we could be one of them…Cindrella, Snowwhite, Rapunzel. Which boy hasn’t imagined himself being the handsome and brave Prince Charming or the handsome hero with supernatural powers  constantly saving the world from disasters and villains.  But then truly speaking have we ever met a Prince charming riding on a horse or a Frog prince. Have we seen witches (leaving aside tele-serials), monsters. Also most stories ended this way -‘And they lived Happily Ever after’- but as parents we very well know that life is not all about happiness, but it’s more of a roller coaster ride. So why are we reading out these stories, which do not have any connection with ‘Present World’. Why are we censoring from children’s stories things like sadness, anger, jealousy, hard work and failure.

Are Fairy Tales the best option for young Minds

Children’s minds are like sponges and whatever you show them, tell them, it will leave an impression  in their mind forever. This is the age when they need to be introduced to the world of possibilities. Speak to them about astronauts, writers, scientists, leaders, artists and musicians. Introduce them to the great musician Beethoven who was deaf or dyslexic student Thomas Edison or Anne Frank, Jewish victim of the Holocaust. Take your child through real men’s life, their struggles, failures and funny moments. Gauge your child’s interest early on and tell them stories about great achievers from that field more. Let them go to sleep dreaming about becoming a pilot, soldier, computer whizz or even a business man.

Long, Long Long Ago…..Fairy Tale belongs to history

Myths, legends, folk fantasies, tales and stories, all have unknowingly been born much before the beginning of the world history we know. Beauty And The Beast and Rumpelstiltskin are more than 4,000 years old. Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel and Snow White, were rooted in a shared cultural history dating back to the birth of the Indo-European language family. Fairy Tales all together need to thank Grimm brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm, who first published these tales in 1812 titled Children’s and Household Tales. It’s truly surprising that these stories survived two world wars, many freedom movements and partitions and are still going strong. Probably we need to thank Walt Disney for it.

Fairy Tales are not totally BAD

The focus in ‘Pinocchio’ isn’t about a nose that can grow longer, but the undesirable consequences of lying. Similarly, the focus in ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ isn’t about the grandmother surviving the wolf despite being gobbled up, but the consequences of talking to strangers and trusting the wrong people. They also help in improving  imagination in young minds, enhance their creativity and reasoning skills. Fairy tales are a great medium to teach children indirectly several lessons of life. Only point to keep in mind is, it should not be the only thing that you give your child at young age.

Parents keep in mind

Give your child a good balance of fairy tales, non-fiction reads and real life stories. Let them grow up as a balanced human beings with mind full of passion to follow their dreams.

A set of good books that you could read to your kids:

Twisted Tales – 10 Odd tales about Famous scientists

On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein

The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos

Rosie Revere, Engineer

How to Catch a Star