We have always been fans of fairy tales. The kids love them and I never thought twice when reading out of a Grimm's fairy tale book. They're stories and not real. What caught my eye recently was an article/blog/story from somewhere on the Internet (can't find it anymore!) that was merely talking about how many of these stories present scary situations and characters.
I never really thought about fairy tales being inappropriate for my children. We always explain that they are just stories and are not real...but that they can learn a great deal from them (don't trust strangers, be careful what you wish for, be thankful for things you have, etc.). DH, who is the story teller in the family, always creates exciting and scary stories for the children to listen to as a prelude to the usual bedtime poetry readings (his latest creation is the "floor monster" story).
Scary stories are fun...but only when it's a "safe" amount of scary. I'm realizing that my children are not as sensitive as most. But I'm not worried about it. After all, my 2 year old's favorite movie as of lately is "Coraline," a movie that many say is too scary for young children. But what can you expect when the parents are huge Tim Burton fans?
Have fun reading something scary!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
-
This summer while at the IHM Conference, I purchased a really cute activity set with the 12 apostles from Jody's Hands-On Learning . I ... -
So last year, we did a Lent lapbook. It was fun, educational, and the kids loved it. But for the life of me, I can't find it!!! I can... -
I spent the weekend mostly sick in bed, reading and doodling to pass the time. I had a stack of picture books that I read to the kids too. ...
2 comments:
I applaud this! We too read lots of scary stories, and I think partly because it gives the kids a chance to think about good vs. evil, or to play out the possibilities of overcoming evil (in the world, or even in the sin we struggle with within ourselves). I'm reading a great book called "A Landscape with Dragons," by Micheal O'Brian, that articulates all of this really well, and from a Catholic perspective. It's really shed some new light on what we were just doing from the gut, as you describe. You might enjoy it. Thanks for the post!
Great comment!! I agree that letting your kids experience stories where there is both good and evil battling, you are in a sense, teaching them a lesson. I cannot begin to count how many wonderful discussions and questions have risen from listening to a "scary" story!
Thanks for recommending the book too...I'll have to get a copy!!
Liz
Post a Comment