Have you noticed how cartoons have become more violent over the years? What happened to the sweet innocence of “Mickey Mouse,” the cuteness of “Baby Huey,” and the heroism of “Mighty Mouse”?
My stepmother once brought to my attention that all fairy tales have an antagonist, (the evil character) and a protagonist (the good character). These tales could be viewed as horror stories by a young child.
For example, look at “Hansel and Gretel.” Here were two innocent little children taken advantage of and almost eaten by a wicked old witch. It’s the same thing with “The Three Little Pigs” and the big bad wolf, and “Little Red Riding Hood” and the wolf that ate Grandma. Such scary stories to share with a young child, yet most of us have been exposed to all of these stories. Are we exposing our young children to the same kinds of things? They may be classic tales, but don’t be surprised if one day there will be a college class on the horror in children’s classics.
“Rock-a-Bye-Baby;” what a song we may have sung to our children. “Down will come baby, cradle, and all.” Are we wishing harm upon our children? No, I am not taking things to an extreme, but we must watch what goes into the child because it is the by-product of what will come out of them. We’ve been programmed to pass on traditional rituals of reciting literature without really thinking about what we’re truly saying.
Before introducing them to this particular form of literature or song, we should wait until our children are old enough to understand and reason for themselves. It’s helpful learning these handed down customs especially if you want to play “Trivial Pursuit,” “Jeopardy,” or “Name That Tune.” To read more - get the book: "Where Did That Come From?" by Ms. "V" (Victoria Thomas Poller)
The Top 5 Viewer Areas to Ms. "V"s Website for Oct. 25 - 31, 2011 are:
- Beijing, China
- Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Antwerp, Belgium
- Redmond, Washington
- Mountain View, California
