Am I the only one disturbed about this?

Most of them were social satire and cautionary tales -- each carries a lesson of some kind. Heck -- Ring Around A Rosy is all about plague.

Life is pretty harsh, and a child who doesn't learn that lesson is pretty ill equipped to handle it later on. The rhymes and tales serve a definite purpose -- a hard lesson in an easy format.

It's only recently that we've started worrying about it, but I think it's kid specific. Some kids are naturally bloodthirsty, and can handle ths stories. Others should live on Sesame Street until well beyond puberty. Parents should know their own kids, and plan accordingly.

In point of fact, WitchsKat loved gruesome fairy tales, and is a very well adjusted and nonviolent person today.

By the way, if anyone wants a really good reworking of fairy tales, may I suggest Red as Blood, or Tales from The Sisters Grimmer, by Tanith Lee? Awesome.
 
Life is pretty harsh now or haven't you noticed.

I used to read all kinds of gruesome stories as a child. Kids have a fascination with the "icky". One of my favorite stories read to me as a child was the "Little Ark". It is about the floods in the Netherlands. It taught me that all the planning in the world cannot shield you from the fickle finger of fate.
It prompted me to read more about life in other countries and times. I found it fascinating and even went on to read "Lives of the Saints". Now that is packed with tales of torture and all for an ideal. I still remember listening to my grandfather explain why these people endured the pain.
I still remember him describing the horror of the death camps in Poland and Germany.
The discussions prompted by reading something beside PC stories can be the basis for real life lessons for a child.
An opportunity to reinforce that we are not islands and need to be aware of the world around us. It taught me to be respectful of the differences in other cultures in spite of my personal convictions.
Yes ring around the rosie is gruesome but so is what happens to thirteen kids every day in this country when they are killed by gang violence.


[Edited by Gingersnap on 01-21-2001 at 09:16 AM]
 
Actually, in the original Grimm version of Sleeping Beauty, the evil queen is in love with the Prince. The Prince finds Sleeping Beauty, rapes her while she's unconscious, and she ends up pregnant with twins-- which is when the Prince tries to find a way to wake her up, because of her kids.

She finally gives birth, and the evil queen takes the children, cooks them, and serves them to the unwitting prince.
 
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