story time

this from The London Telegraph:
The poll of 3,000 British parents - by TheBabyWebsite.com - revealed a quarter of mothers now rejected some classic fairy tales.

Sarah Pilkinton, 36, a mother-of-three from Sevenoaks, Kent, told researchers: "I loved the old fairy stories when I was growing up. I still read my children some of the classics like Sleeping Beauty and Goldilocks, but I must admit I've not read them The Gingerbread Man or Hansel and Gretel. "They are both a bit scary and I remember having difficulty sleeping after being read those ones when I was little."

Two-thirds of parents said traditional fairytales had stronger morality messages than many modern children's stories. But many said they were no longer appropriate to soothe youngsters before bed. Almost 20 per cent of adults said they refused to read Hansel and Gretel because the children were abandoned in a forest - and it may give their own sons and daughters nightmares. A fifth did not like to read The Gingerbread Man as he gets eaten by a fox.

The most popular book read at bedtime is now The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
The simple tale, which features a greedy caterpillar eating too much food, was written in 1969. (perhaps with the current epidemic of childhood obesity this one should be struck from the list too)
It also emerged 65 per cent of parents preferred to read their children happier tales at bedtime, such as the Mr Men, The Gruffalo and Winnie the Pooh.
Three quarters of mothers and fathers try to avoid stories which might give their children nightmares and half of all parents would not consider reading a single fairy tale to their child until they reached the age of five.

Top bedtime stories of 2008:
1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (1969) (okay, we have this one)
2. Mr Men, Roger Hargreaves (1971)
3. The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson (1999)
4. Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne (1926) (we have my childhood copy)
5. Aliens Love Underpants, Claire Freedman & Ben Cort (2007)
6. Thomas and Friends from The Railway Series, Rev.W.Awdry (1945)
7. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame (1908) (another one from my childhood bookshelf)
8. What a Noisy Pinky Ponk!, Andrew Davenport (2008)
9. Charlie and Lola, Lauren Child (2001)
10. Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Robert Southey (1837)

Top 10 fairy tales we no longer read:
1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
2. Hansel and Gretel
3. Cinderella
4. Little Red Riding Hood
5. The Gingerbread Man
6. Jack and the Beanstalk
7. Sleeping Beauty
8. Beauty and the Beast
9. Goldilocks and the Three Bears
10. The Emperor's New Clothes

We own all 10 of these "non-read" books and have almost read them to pieces. I guess we aren't very PC or worried about scaring our little tykes. The funny thing is that I can't remember the last time any of our kids had a nightmare. Children are very observant and can tell the difference between a real story and a fairy tale. Mine are always asking, "Is this book true?" I do admit to adding commentary during some of the stories, such as in Jack and the Beanstalk, "Would you trade your cow for some magic beans? (isn't it a fairy tale ponzi scheme?) The giant's wife is pretty dumb, isn't she? (Would you let some stranger in our house?) How did the mother know that was Jack's father's magic hen? (don't all chickens look alike?) How would they get that dead giant out of there? (the smell would be pretty awful. I would think they would have to move?)" The kids giggle and we read on.

A few weeks ago the older children and the girls next door put together the play of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. They copied the text, rehearsed, made props, labeled the seats for the parents, and put on the production. It was a hit! I was amazed that 3 year old Kate could remember her lines, and they even offered refreshments after the show. I would reassure British parents that no one seemed to be frightened of bears or little girls with no manners.

If a child is never exposed to stories that have drama and heroics then they will be limited in their thinking and problem solving skills. Children also need exposure to tales in which good triumphs over evil. I urge parents of little ones to read classic fairy tales and other good stories to their children every day, for if they do, they will one day find their 8 year old huddled in the bathroom at 9pm staring at a novel.

"What are you doing? Get back in bed."

"But, I LOVE to read!"