Once upon a time, a bedtime story was the norm.
Fairy tales were the go-to stories, helping create bonds between parents and their children, which in turn grew their interaction throughout life.
These days, children almost always have to be begged to stop playing video games, watch YouTube or TikTok videos, and get to bed.
If they are reading at all, it's almost always about some futuristic world, like Ready Player One and Warcross.
Don't get me wrong, though. There is nothing bad in imagining another world with flying cars, space travel, colonies on Mars, and every other futuristic thing you can think up. That is why we have our imagination, after all.
However, I have a lot to say about allowing children to play video games and watch TikTok videos on a school day, but that would be another day.
I grew up listening, reading, and watching fairy tales. It helped play a part in who I have become today and my love for books.
While some people think that fairy tales don't make children see the world for what it is, shielding them from the real world, they are actually full of lessons that can be applied to the present day.
For example, take the story of Snow White, who received an apple from a strange old woman, ate it, and went into a coma. A well-taught Yoruba child would never take food offered by a stranger, not to talk of eating it.
The Three Little Pigs teaches patience, endurance, and planning, while Rumplestiltskin teaches that there are consequences to every action you take. Just as well, Little Red Riding Hood teaches that one should be careful of whom one trusts, even if they are kind to you.
While not all of them have happy endings, at the very least, there are lessons to be learned- moral lessons like staying safe, being kind, forgiving others, working hard, and not telling lies.
Each lesson learned is drilled into your brain, which is still in me and many in my generation.
To get a realistic feel of things, I asked a group of people when the last time they heard or told a fairy tale was, and the response was shocking.
They mentioned that the pandemic, inflation, and happenings in the country were some reasons why they hadn't given fairy tales a thought or even had time to read them to their younger ones or kids. Because of this, the knowledge of fairy tales and folklore among the younger generation is dying.
Even if you don't have the time to read fairy tales to your kids, getting them the books goes a long way in improving the reading culture and keeping fairy tales and the lessons they entail alive.
Fairy tales help spark children's imagination and, from there, help build upon what will become the foundation for their character.
While some literary enthusiasts advocate for in-your-face truths, which is good, one must remember that this particular audience is children.
They need to be helped to continue to believe in the greater good and that no matter how terrible situations might be, solutions can be found. While it might not be happily ever after, we are on the path to it.
