Nothing to see here, move along

I don't read my kid fairy tales, especially the mother goose/grim type with the wolf eating the grandmother of LRRH, etc. Pretty horrible shit in those stories.

I also answer his questions, like when he asked me if the easter bunny was real. (No)
We just kinda do what the culture does from a high level, and when he's ready for the truth, he asks, and shall receive.


I can understand where both parties are coming from in this argument.

I LOVED those Grimm (and gruesome) fairy tales. But, yeah, my mother didn't read them to me when I was a child (nor do I read them to my three and a half year old).

I also loved mythology (especially Greek and Norse) when I was a pre-teen.

I take the same approach to talking to them about history, a far more dangerous fairy tale.

"Kids grow up fast enough these days, so let’s allow them to have a little bit of childhood for as long as they can."

In this case, that 'fairy tales' of any sort are a necessary or interesting component of childhood.

No fairy tales? Do you let him watch Disney movies?

Is he allowed any fantasy at all?

Not the same thing as Mother Goose Rhymes.
And we try to filter some of that through some things like the bechdel test.


There's plenty of fantasy out there that doesn't involve the wolf eating red riding hood's grandmother, or two of the 3 little pigs. Modern adaptations, like you find on Super-Why, and print materials of that nature.

He knows Santa isn't real. But he likes the version of Santa in Jack Frost, now that he's old enough to watch it.

They didn't let us watch the Three Stooges for example.

And they also prohibited things that were gratuitously sexist, like Barbie dolls.

But stories that were allegorical moral tales were used extensively to provoke thought and teach lessons, including fairy tales and biblical stories.

I remember, at least back to age 3. I was actually a little angry when I found out how much of that stuff was total fiction.


This society is marinated in 'stranger danger' fears. (Despite being the vector of less than 10% of sexual violence perpetrators, etc.) Plenty of time to teach him about the risks some people do pose, without disturbing him about strangely determined wolves that wreck houses, and eat pigs.


And there are lots of modern adaptations that don't suck/terrify.

Approved version of three little pigs:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Three-Little-Pigs-Architectural/dp/0810989417
We read this one last night.
http://www.amazon.com/Tough-Chicks-Cece-Meng/dp/0618824154/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1402409894&sr=1-1&keywords=Tough+Chicks

take on the whole prince true love meme.

at some point early on children understand the difference between fiction and non fiction. When they ask they should not be told the fiction is real. They know what "pretend" is.

‘The other day, one of the kids lost a tooth and I talked about the tooth fairy. Half of them are old enough to think: “What are you talking about,” yet they’re still not sure there isn’t something.

So does she lie to them? They will find out she is not telling the truth.

Stop lying to children, it is harmful.

when they printed Columbus's logs (so the kiddies don't start experimenting with "fancy"--or, worse, Papism)