Why Are Fairy Tales Bad For Children
Do you love magic and happy endings? You’re not alone; lots people enjoy reading fairy tales without realizing the bad messages hidden inside. Are fairy tales really a good thing to be reading to young kids though? Many of them include things that give nightmares, lowers self-images, and gives false ideas of reality which might not be the ideal bedtime story for a young child. You might just want to wait until they are older.
The first of many reasons that fairy tales are bad for kids is fairy tales give nightmares and bad morals. In a survey used to mark the launch of GRIMM, out of about 2,000 adults ⅓ of them said that their children have been left in tears after reading them and ¼ of the adults said they wouldn’t read fairytales to their kids until they’re 5. Many of the evil characters and scary events can be frightening for little kids. Reading fairy tales as bedtimes stories may not be the best idea. A reason for many of the tears would be the dark and dramatic events in the stories. In stories such as Red Riding Hood and The Gingerbread Man, it shows characters being eaten by animals. In Rapunzel and Rumpelstiltskin, …show more content…
it shows kidnapping. Not only can this scare kids, but it can also lead them to believe it will happen to them too. Many young kids have active imaginations. They might imagine that they’ll get lost in dark forests or captured by witches, because of this. This could cause them to be afraid to go outside or meet new people, which completely goes against the original message of magic and happiness. Overall, reading fairy tales to kids many not be the best option.are not the best option to keep a kid from ending up in tears and fear.
Additionally, fairytales can also lower self-esteem. Studies done by Healthguidance have shown that girls who read a lot of fairy tales tend to have lower self-images than others. There are at least 30 beauty references per fairytale showing how all the girls are beautiful and skinny. This can damage the self-esteem of many girls who don’t fit the stereotype. Fairytales don’t only affect girls. When asked, many boys in case studies have said that fairy tales make them feel they have to live up to the hero’s standards. When boys don’t feel they are brave or strong enough, it makes them feel like they will never live up to anything, even at a young age.it can destroy their self-esteem. In most of the stories, it’s implied that beauty mattered more than intelligence. All the princes were mesmerized by the princess’s beauty It never showed that the intelligence of the girl mattered, showing little girls that if you aren’t glamorous, you’ll be punished just like the other evil/ugly people. Generally speaking, fairy tales not only damage self-images but also imply that beauty is everything.
Furthermore, Fairy tales give false ideas of reality.
A majority of the stories include things like dragon fighting and giant beanstalks. When things like this don’t actually happen, it can cause dissatisfaction in a kid’s life and they’ll feel as if they didn’t get their “happy ever after”. Fairytales also downgrade woman. They make it seem as though men are better than woman. It also implies that girls have to wait for their “prince charming” to save them. In addition fairy tales have bad morals such as you should judge people by their looks and stealing is okay. In most fairy tales, for example, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, evil is associated with ugly. In goldilocks, it makes it seem as though stealing is good and it sends the wrong message to young kids. For the most part fairy tales don’t correctly showcase the world or it’s
realities.
In conclusion, fairy tales have many negative impacts. It is important to understand that although fairy tales may be fun to read, they give nightmares, lower self-images, and give false ideas of reality. Fairy tales may be a big part of our world but they are better stories with better messages. In the future, there might be new versions of the stories that kids can read without feeling bad about themselves. For now, maybe if kids stop reading fairy tales they’ll stop worrying about the horrors of the story and start focusing on their own happily ever after.
The first of many reasons that fairy tales are bad for kids is fairy tales give nightmares and bad morals. In a survey used to mark the launch of GRIMM, out of about 2,000 adults ⅓ of them said that their children have been left in tears after reading them and ¼ of the adults said they wouldn’t read fairytales to their kids until they’re 5. Many of the evil characters and scary events can be frightening for little kids. Reading fairy tales as bedtimes stories may not be the best idea. A reason for many of the tears would be the dark and dramatic events in the stories. In stories such as Red Riding Hood and The Gingerbread Man, it shows characters being eaten by animals. In Rapunzel and Rumpelstiltskin, …show more content…
it shows kidnapping. Not only can this scare kids, but it can also lead them to believe it will happen to them too. Many young kids have active imaginations. They might imagine that they’ll get lost in dark forests or captured by witches, because of this. This could cause them to be afraid to go outside or meet new people, which completely goes against the original message of magic and happiness. Overall, reading fairy tales to kids many not be the best option.are not the best option to keep a kid from ending up in tears and fear.
Additionally, fairytales can also lower self-esteem. Studies done by Healthguidance have shown that girls who read a lot of fairy tales tend to have lower self-images than others. There are at least 30 beauty references per fairytale showing how all the girls are beautiful and skinny. This can damage the self-esteem of many girls who don’t fit the stereotype. Fairytales don’t only affect girls. When asked, many boys in case studies have said that fairy tales make them feel they have to live up to the hero’s standards. When boys don’t feel they are brave or strong enough, it makes them feel like they will never live up to anything, even at a young age.it can destroy their self-esteem. In most of the stories, it’s implied that beauty mattered more than intelligence. All the princes were mesmerized by the princess’s beauty It never showed that the intelligence of the girl mattered, showing little girls that if you aren’t glamorous, you’ll be punished just like the other evil/ugly people. Generally speaking, fairy tales not only damage self-images but also imply that beauty is everything.
Furthermore, Fairy tales give false ideas of reality.
A majority of the stories include things like dragon fighting and giant beanstalks. When things like this don’t actually happen, it can cause dissatisfaction in a kid’s life and they’ll feel as if they didn’t get their “happy ever after”. Fairytales also downgrade woman. They make it seem as though men are better than woman. It also implies that girls have to wait for their “prince charming” to save them. In addition fairy tales have bad morals such as you should judge people by their looks and stealing is okay. In most fairy tales, for example, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, evil is associated with ugly. In goldilocks, it makes it seem as though stealing is good and it sends the wrong message to young kids. For the most part fairy tales don’t correctly showcase the world or it’s
realities.
In conclusion, fairy tales have many negative impacts. It is important to understand that although fairy tales may be fun to read, they give nightmares, lower self-images, and give false ideas of reality. Fairy tales may be a big part of our world but they are better stories with better messages. In the future, there might be new versions of the stories that kids can read without feeling bad about themselves. For now, maybe if kids stop reading fairy tales they’ll stop worrying about the horrors of the story and start focusing on their own happily ever after.