Do fairy tales make girls appear weak?
day, I heard deejays on the radio chatting about “Do classic children’s stories send the wrong message?”
The issue was triggered when some Hollywood stars said they didn’t allow their children to watch classic tales.
They claimed that Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella portrayed a weak female waiting for a stronger male to give her “the kiss of life, which sent the wrong message to kids.
Our Bawang Putih Bawang Merah also has a Prince Charming coming to the rescue of the damsel in distress. Can this send a wrong message to girls?
This is why we should read to our little ones or watch the stories with them and highlight the key message that “the good always wins over evil, and not how you need a man to save you and make things better”.
Most children are intrigued by the songs, colours, animals and costumes rather than the kiss at the end of the story.
Let them have fun, like we did, when we were growing up with all these princesses.
Nonetheless, there are kids, like mine, who do not care much for these princesses, but instead, prefer stronger characters like Moana, Mulan or Rapunzel.
I believe these millennial children have more to them than what we expect of them or give them credit for.
They prefer to be self-empowered, strong and energetic young ladies who amaze all, and are respected and loved.
All cultures have classic tales to tell their children.
In whatever way it is woven into the plots, the moral of stories is always that one should have a kind heart and that we should fight against evil to have a good and meaningful life.
Raising children in this cyberworld is difficult.
One can’t help being protective or paranoid.
Parents have to be alert as to what their children are reading or watching, the friends they are keeping and their activities.
But what is most important is how much time we spend with our loved ones, how often we talk to them and the effort we take to get closer to them.
If we have this covered, our children will leave the nest knowing what is good and what is not.
Let children enjoy their childhood to the fullest.
We should be their guardian, protector and friend, ready to pull them back if they go astray.
It’s like my mum used to say: “Raising a child is like playing a kite. Sometimes you have to let the string loose, but when the kite is up so high, you need to tug the string back a little.”