One of the main functions of fairy tales is to prepare small children for the outside world - the world outside the family nest. From birth, children are surrounded by people who offer them love and acceptance. That is why a small child creates an image of people as a group of people who are always kind to him, who love and protect him. This initial notion of people, according to which all people are good, makes small children show a kind of primary naivety. In their view of the world, there is only the idea of goodness and love. Fairy tales are the first stories in which a child learns that there is evil in the outside world as opposed to good.
The structure of fairy tales is such that after the introduction to the story, there is a part in which some evil force or person endangers someone who is good, but powerless. It is this plot that arouses various emotions in the child, most often the fear for the fate of the fairy-tale hero with whom the child, as a rule, identifies. This tension is resolved by a happy ending in which the hero of the fairy tale, with the help of a "magic helper" or a savior, makes goodness, love and justice win. It is the plot in which it seems that the evil force will prevail that creates tension and excitement in the child, which is why he asks for the same fairy tale to be read or told over and over again.
A terrifying idea of evil
This structure of the fairy tale first introduces a frightening idea of evil into the child's psyche, and then helps him to overcome that fear and experience catharsis through the final victory of good over evil.
You may notice that when you start telling a child a story that is full of evil and fear, that the child focuses all his attention on listening to that story. Although at first glance it may seem that the story will make the child sad, or that he did not like it, you will be surprised when after a while the child asks you to tell him the same story again, even though he did not like the plot of the story. This is because children are born good people by nature, and at the happy ending of such stories the child receives confirmation that the value system he possesses is correct.
And because of all this, we have to pay attention to our children from an early age, let's tell them stories, legends, fairy tales and fables, so we will better prepare them for the cruel world of adults. Life is not easy, life is not fair, let's teach our children to deal with it easier.
I am a proud father of two grown children, who are now adults, and I often have the opportunity to hear from them how they remember their childhood and all the stories that their mother and I told them regularly.
And remember, spending time with your children is never a waste of time.Memories of that time, and the lessons they learned then remain in their memories for a lifetime.
I have seen one series of this writer who writes fairy tales with a twist of horror in between. Somehow there are lessons indeed but as parents or guardians we have to remind our children too that the reality can be different.