Fairytales Are The Frosting, Not the Cake

Fairytales play an important part in childhood development, because they give imaginary solutions to real fears. For example, Jack and the Bean Stalk, is about a little boy conquering a big person. When Jack gains power over the giants, i.e., adults, who control his life, he is dealing with his smallness and anger through a magical fantasy in which he triumphs. But, there are too many examples like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, where the heroine lives happily ever after, only after being saved by a man. That fairytale thinking, when carried into adulthood, creates a set-up of expectations that can never be fulfilled. Solutions that worked in early childhood often fall short when we mature. In fact, fairytale thinking, if not replaced by more realistic problem-solving, can remain with us into adulthood, creating unrealistic expectations that leave us ill-equipped to deal with life