The Importance of Fairy Tales in a Child’s Life Wisdom from Bruno Bettelheim’s The Uses of Enchantment
I spent many delicious hours as a child reading fairy tales. I remember the impact that book had on me, and because of its logic, chose to immerse my children in the world of fantasy and fairy tales throughout their childhood.
Bruno Bettelheim was a child psychologist, famous for his research on autism. “The child finds this kind of meaning through fairy tales.”
Bettelheim says, “These tales start where the child really is in his psychological and emotional being.
Parents longing to protect their children from evil, scary things in the world do well to remember that this is the world to which we are preparing them to face.
Here’s what Bettelheim says: “In child or adult, the unconscious is a powerful determinant of behavior. Bettelheim says that a struggle against severe difficulties in life is unavoidable, is an intrinsic part of human experience.
The Elements of Fairy Tales
The fairy tale, according to Bettelheim, confronts the child squarely with the most scary subjects in life: death, aging, loss of a parent, being trapped or lost, and other stresses. The fairy tale simplifies all situations, allowing the child to come to grips with the problem in its most essential form.
The most important element in fairy tales, to me, is the moral choice presented to the hero. The child learns that choices have consequences, and the child can choose what kind of person she wants to be. The fairy tale is future-oriented and guides the child, so that instead of escaping into a world of unreality, she is given tools to help her develop character and courage to face what the world presents to her.
“Fairy tales, unlike any form of literature, direct the child to discover his identity and calling, and they also suggest what experiences are needed to develop his character further. Fairy tales intimate that a rewarding, good life is within one’s reach despite adversity-but only if one does not shy away from the hazardous struggles without which one can never achieve true identity.”
So, do not discount fairy tales as a bad influence on your children. We cannot hide our children from the evils of the world, and even explaining everything in a pat manner from God’s Word does not dispel the deep fears and worries a child has.
The Importance Of Reading Fairy Tales In A Child’s Life
Do you remember that time when you were a child and all the kids tried to hang off the jungle gym in a desperate attempt to grow taller?