Fairy Tales

Well, it's time for me to climb back up on my motherhood soap box again. Although I usually just have fun recounting the amusing little things the kids do throughout the day, I do occasionally get the urge to write down some deeper parenting thoughts as well. (Don't worry, I'll try to keep it short!)

I've had fairy tales on the brain. Halloween is coming up fast and my little girl wants to dress up as a fairy tale character (I won't spoil the fun and tell you which one just yet) and then there's her obsession lately with anything regarding Princesses. It's just gotten me thinking. That and I also recently watched Disney's Enchanted, a cute little movie that parodies fairy tales. Never seen it? Well here's a clip for you:



It's funny because it's just SO ludicrous. And as adults, we get that. But, I have to look at my children and wonder how they're processing movies like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty and the like since they won't be taking it in with a grain of salt. Don't get me wrong, I'm not planning on banning fairy tales from the house or anything, and I think that these stories can be fun and have their place. However, I also really think they need to be tempered by real life. Because otherwise, our little girls and our little boys alike will grow up aspiring to be like these caricatures and feeling inadequate and dissatisfied when themselves and those around them don't measure up. Our little girls will think that if they find themselves stuck inside a tall tower that the most proactive thing they can do is grow their hair out long and wait to be rescued. They may wait their whole lives waiting for a Prince Charming that doesn't exist to sweep them off their feet and "complete" them. Meanwhile our little boys will think they have to be out slaying dragons while they pursue unrealistic images of an idealized woman who will every day be at home happily cleaning house while she sings. It sets them up for failure. They need to know that not all woman have size 6 bodies, long flowing perfectly coiffed hair and a beautiful singing voice and that it's okay. They need to know that not all men are musclebound dragon slayers who will always say the right thing and leave you sighing after them constantly and that's okay too. Of course, maybe I'm reading too much into it, maybe I'm being too literal here. But then, don't children tend to take things literally themselves?

I guess I would hope that we can enjoy these idealized version of reality, these fairy tales where everything is sprinkled with pixy dust, life is charming, and men and women are converted into 2 dimensional personalities in more ways then one. I hope we can enjoy them as they were meant to be enjoyed with our children but still manage to have them grow up realizing that while they'll never be like those characters, they can still like themselves with all their complexity, their flaws and their humanity.

So, to close this topic I leave you with a song. If you've never listened to Sarah Barielles, check it out.