Fairy Tales

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  • July 17, 2014 at 1:52 am
    MissusLeata
    Participant

    I’m struggling with the idea of fairy tales. I read My Father’s Dragon to my kids and we all loved it. I loved the vivid imaginary world and how fun it was. The boys loved the dragon.

    I just started reading Five Children and It to them and my oldest(almost 7) is having a hard time with the wish-granting. He sees it as the Sand Fairy playing God.

    What would you do? Put it away? Work on training hid conscience to understand what a fable is? I’m just not sure.

    And it doesn’t help that I have a pretty conservative background and was taught that any thing that couldn’t fit with reality is a sin because Phil. 4:8 says to think on true things. Any thoughts?

    July 17, 2014 at 2:22 am
    Karen
    Participant

    I’m not familiar with Five Children and It. I just wanted to say that when my girls were little, I wondered if we should skip the fairy tales because of all the witches and whatnot.  Then I read somewhere (Gurien? that guy with the unpronouneable name) said that fairy tales are important for children because it exposes them to evil and they learn that evil things can happen to them, but that good triumphs over evil.

    So I read fairy tales to my children.  When they ask about witches and things I explain that there are some evil people who worship satan rather than God. 

    Everything like My Father’s Dragon, Cinderella (my favorite!),  Roman and Greek Gods and Goddesses, Santa Claus, etc.,  I explain as being make-believe. 

    July 17, 2014 at 11:13 am
    ruth
    Participant

    I think you can explain more about make believe and the difference between God preforming miracles and answereing prayers as opposed to a wish being granted by a make believe magic creature.  You could use it as a teaching point that yes the sand fairy is granting wishes in a manner that aprears like God, but the childrens wishes turn out all wrong. The sand fairy is compelled to grant their wishes regardless of good sense.  God knows best and for that reason many times does not answer our prayers when we have our hearts set on earthly desires.   You will know best if he would understand this more or still struggle over it.  If it is going to be a hardship for you ds, then it would be best to drop the book.  There are many great books out there that can be read instead.

     

    July 17, 2014 at 11:14 am
    nebby
    Participant

    We loved the Five Children and It! If your child is bothered, you might want to lay it aside for now. But if it is just you, I would spend some time reading what CM and others say about fairy tales. Here is one blog post I did on it which quotes CM and links to a much better post than mine:

    http://lettersfromnebby.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/cm-on-fairytales/

    My kids have never had a problem thinking that story things like witches and magic would be okay in real life (and we have run across people that are in to such things!). Stories create other worlds where the rules of our world don’t apply in order to teach us about our world. If your kids are old enough, I would ask them what they think the author is trying to show about our world. The truth is they find that wishes aren’t all they are cracked up to be. Then you could even lead in to how God is better than the It of the book since He gives us what we need, not just what we ask for.

    Nebby

    July 17, 2014 at 12:07 pm
    Bookworm
    Participant

    Also, remember that there is more than one meaning of “true”.  “True” does not just mean “factually accurate” although that can be part of it.  “True” can also mean something that is true to real life—and 5 Children and It qualifies hands-down!  If you ask me, it’s actually a subtly subversive book AGAINST “asking for wishes”, AGAINST “magic solving all problems” because it teaches us that sometimes, getting just what we think we want with no effort, is not really what we wanted at all!  The “world” granting our wishes is always going to leave us unhappy and unfulfilled.  This is a monumentally important lesson, IMO, and “true” in the true meaning of the word!

    July 17, 2014 at 12:42 pm
    RobinP
    Participant

    And that is the beauty of a living book.

    July 17, 2014 at 1:39 pm
    Angelina
    Participant

    Thank you, ruth and bookworm and nebby for the excellent responses; in particular, how to use these books as teaching moments and even including in your posts precisely what we can say.  So helpful!  This is close to my heart and I really appreciate the thoughtful replies.  Thank you.  Blessings, Angie

    July 17, 2014 at 2:32 pm
    MissusLeata
    Participant

    Yes, lots of helpful answers. We got it out again this morning and after balking at first, I told him to just wait, he was going to learn from it and he got right back into the story. 🙂

    July 17, 2014 at 3:25 pm
    Linabean
    Participant

    We are also reading this book right now! We are enjoying it so far. I agree with Ruth, Nebby and Bookworm’s responses wholeheartedly. In this situation I think I would point out to my child that God is ABSOLUTELY NOT a “wish granter” in any sense of the word. He is omnipotent. We do not have any “power” over God. He does not “grant wishes”…He holds the universe in the palm of His hand! In the story, the “it” simply had to be found and the finder then got his wish. Same concept as rubbing a genie lamp and getting three wishes. The wisher is supposedly the one with the power over the wish granter, except for the sneaky ways that the granter can make the wish less desirable. This is NOT the same as humanity’s relationship with God, at all. Having an understanding, even just a beginning one, that prayer is NOT wishing is very important spiritually for a child. This would be my take on the situation.

    Blessings,

    Miranda

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