The Magic of Fairytales on Children

For centuries children fell in love with fairytales and neither the television nor the most sophisticated computer game were able to diver the attention of children from fairytales. But why do they like these princesses, wolf and other giant stories so much? What messages do these fantastic stories convey?

One may wonder how this interest in fairy tales still exists, when so many modern stories are available for children. They were created to be repeated and passed on from generation to generation, and so fairy tales have been refined, loaded with different meanings so that every child, whatever their age or gender, can find a multitude of ideas that help them to overcome their difficulties and to grow more calmly.

Childhood is not a calm "river"

From an early age, children experience events: disappointments, fraternal rivalry, confrontation with the outside world, and have to take responsibilities, thus they may be forced to confront loneliness and anguish. Some parents feel the need to overprotect their child from what troubles them most and try to put things in a positive aspect. Doing this only reinforces the child's concerns because the child knows very well, that life does not only give good surprises. Fairy tales will surely help: they will speak of life and encourage children be adventurous.

Fairy tales are benchmarks

Fairy tales illustrate children's terror, poverty and abandonment, the death of a parent (Snow White), the fraternal jealousy (Cinderella). They speak about the cruelties of life and internal struggles by giving them a tangible form that makes them less frightening. A wolf, for example, is scary, of course, but it makes children laugh, when it is given a kick in the butt and is won over. This helps the child to overcome the fear of being devoured.
Stories help children solve their problems and make them understand what is good or bad, what is advantageous or not, how to find love when they grow up and how when they grow up they will find someone they love and so have to leave their family. The tales provide benchmarks on what to do in life and they all broadcast the same message which is simple and encouraging. They convey the message that the difficulties of life are inevitable but if, instead of fleeing, we face strong and unexpected events, eventually we will overcome obstacles and achieve what we want.

Fairy tales can talk to children
Children rely on fairy tales more than any rational discourse because they speak to them in a form that is familiar: the form of magic. According to Piaget, the child remains largely animist until puberty, he has a world of his own and he keeps this world for himself because he knows that adults see things differently. In his world the boundary between living and inanimate, men and animals, fantasy and reality is still unclear, and from this world he is transported out of time ( "Once upon a time ...") and space ( "... in a kingdom now forgotten ...") in a universe shifted from its everyday reality. The tales offer children a variety of characters they can identify with, according to their current needs, and help them to understand better living things. The fairy tales are so rich in possibilities that the same story can be suitable for both a 5 yea r old and a 13 year old, the difference is that their interpretations are simply not the same!

Let fairytales guide you
It is not possible to know for what age a story is good for ,or for what particular child , therefore you should choose what you should read to your child and it will be the intensity of his emotional reactions that will show you if he is interested. It is best to start with your favourite. If the child does not respond, it means that the topics covered do not correspond to his current concerns, if he is hooked, he will show his enthusiasm and will make you repeat it again and again till he has learnt everything from it. When his concerns have changed, he will require another story to better reflect the new stage he is addressing.
It's best to be guided by your child, his choice can also help you better understand what he is going through, but do not break the spell by stopping to explain, as the enchantment of fairy tales and their enjoyment is the fact that he does not know what is happening and that is why they are so charming!.