I am writing a paper for my psyc class and the professor had us read a debate on letting our children read fairy tales. The debate was from 1903. Despite the fact that you can only understand half of what the spreakers are saying; there are some very conflicting views. I just wanted to know what you thought on the subject. Are we scaring our children and letting them live in a world of make-believe or is the imagination of our children feed by the fiction we let them read? And how far do we go with this? If Peter Pan and other stories are to much for them; then who is to say that the bible is not just as much if not more than they need to read. How do we know for sure that the bible is true or false? Does the beliefe in the bible and God not take just as much imagination as it does to pretend and play? What do you think?
2006-11-07 03:05:53 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Social Science ➔ Psychology
To all those that have a problem with the Bible part. It is used as a reference because there are so many stories in it that are just as much a part of what our children read as the fictional stories. They are stories with a moral just like the fairy tales that children read.
2006-11-07 03:53:35 · update #1
Children live in a world of magic and fantasy, and unless the content is really disturbing I don't think fairytales are a problem. In fact, choosing the right fairytales can be very beneficial to children. If you analyse the themes of most fairytales, you will find that it usually has a good vs evil theme in which good usually triumphs. Fairytales provide a useful metaphor for children to learn about values. It is not the fairytale itself, but HOW IT IS TOLD that would make it good or bad for children.
2006-11-07 03:17:01 · answer #1 · answered by shakespear 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You have asked an excellent question that some of the most brilliant minds have asked. Yours is an investigation. Whenever journalists hear something that they want to verify the accuracy of, they always "consider the source". Did you know that the Bible is Not a Rule book? Nor is it a fairy tale. Why? Because it proves itself. In the book of Job which was written before 500 BC, it says that the earth is round. Scientists (secular ones) did not figure that out until the 15th century. The Bible records migrations of the hebrew people, the kingdoms that they overthrew, and the ones they escaped from that are all recorded and verified in ancient nonreligious texts and even todays textbooks. The Bible is actually the morld's most reliabe and accurate historical reference book. As for the topic of scarring them for a make believe world, it does not. Instead as they grow up, they will understand that while the world is not all a utopia, they will use the morals such as truth, honesty, justice and virtue that those fairy tales have taught. They will even come to understand the ultimate reality of Good finally prevailing over evil.
2006-11-07 03:25:17 · answer #2 · answered by Jay W 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well this was a giant question so I will do my best to answer it. The fairy tales that were discussed in the 17th, 18th and 19th century often were conveyed as a result of safety practices such as do not go wandering alone in the forest, do not speak with strangers no matter how nice they may be, trust in your virtue as love can see through the deception and so on. The sad truth is that the children are not being harmed by the context of the stories as long as the parent, teacher, facilitator etc. explains the moral of the story and that it is a story. Consider this, if we remove all the moral stories from children's libraries that would not leave too many stories that help mold the child's sense of right and wrong and could very well stunt the growth of the child. I hope that helps.
2006-11-07 03:21:42 · answer #3 · answered by psychologist is in 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would direct you to Bruno Bettelheim's "The Use of Enchantment." Although he is a psychoanalyst and thus dated when it comes to psychology, he lays out some pretty good points. Fairy tales, myths and legends are a culture's way of passing down it's wisdom in metaphorical terms. These stories can help children overcome adversity in their lives by showing how others have overcome their own "monsters" - witches, giants, demons and evil stepparents.
Fantasy and play is very important to a child's development. Imaginative play lays the ground work for later cognitive and social developments. In fact, the lack of spontaneous, imaginative social play can be the sign of an underlying disorder, such as autism. Fairy tales are one of the things that fuel this imaginiative play, and is certainly better than sitting kids in front of a television to watch "Barney."
Yeah, fairy tales can be scary. But so can real life. Fairy tales provide a safe outlet for children to confront and deal with fear.
I'm not touching the Bible question with a ten-foot pole.
2006-11-07 03:43:20 · answer #4 · answered by sparky52881 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i dont thing you are right at all. facts play an important part in our lives, and not everyone is oblivious to the truth. even if i believed that the world was flat and someone prooved me otherwise i would change my mind, just like we do with a lot of things out there. fairy tale love is IMPOSSIBLE, because life is about obsticals and trying times and attitutes and other peoples behaviour that sometimes we cant explain and cant control, its too unpredictable to be too good. i am married to someone i love dearly but its not a fairy tale, things dont always work out for the better. Some form of truth --- is a key here, its some but not all--- fairy tales are made simple, much less complex then real life. I dont think im cynical at all but i am realisitc enough to know that it takes a lot of work and patience to even be in love with someone. i think reality is what you are forgetting here.
2016-05-22 07:28:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why shouldn't we let our children read fairy tales? For generation to generation, children read them. Our own children should not be "left out" of the fairy tales; unless if you want your child to be out of place whenever, for example, a discussion among themselves comes up about a certain fairy tale. I believe children of today are far more intelligent, therefore, they know themselves if it's really real or not. With parents' help (guidance even), they can identify which information they should believe and what not to -- for example, the morals of the fairy tale.
As much as possible, though, please don't compare fairy tales with The Bible; or consider The Bible as another fairy tale. Thank you.
^__^
2006-11-07 04:27:12 · answer #6 · answered by Mike N. D 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You really pulled the Bible into a non biblical subject here ,eh? So, is this about " Fairy Tales" or ancient documents ? Your argumant isn't Fairy Tales, you are trying to pull Christianity, not even religion in general, into the Fariy Tale arena. Like Peter Pan, it won't fly. Stick to the subject.
2006-11-07 03:21:48 · answer #7 · answered by yoyo 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Oh my gosh! I've been telling people this for a week now! I don't understand how fairy tales and the bible are separated. They tell us Santa's not real but to continue believing all the stories in the bible! It's preposterous! I argue this point all the time. I have much more to say but I must go now. later and good luck!
2006-11-07 03:45:12 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
Yes. I see nothing wrong with it as long as teaches a life lesson and it does not go against the Bible. The help children understand life lessons easier.
2006-11-07 03:18:00 · answer #9 · answered by CJ M 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Fairy tales and religion are the same.
So long as you explain to the child that it's all make-believe, they'll understand.
Sadly, many adults are incapable of separating fact from fiction when it comes to religion...
2006-11-07 03:13:44 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋