Children’s Stories By Linda Stowe
Like most kids, I learned how to live in the world through children’s books. They were my guide long before the church or public schools got their hands on me. Tales of Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel warned me to beware of the guile of strangers. Not everyone is as straightforward as they seem, so take care not to fall under their spell. Stories like Cinderella taught me that I should strive to be like everyone else to be accepted. Being yourself wasn’t enough. And the most frightening book of all, Bambi, taught me that the world was fraught with danger, especially from outsiders I didn’t know anything about. By the time I was taught to sing “Jesus loves all the little children,” I was already a doubter.
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Polly here.
This is a powerful piece in so many ways.
Stories shape our lives. Not only these “children’s stories” but every other story we are told.
We’ve learned everything we know about existence through stories.
From our parents. Our teachers. Our family and friends. Our government. Our churches.
We are even told stories from our own life experiences.
From those times, we tell ourselves stories.
And what we believe about life is just that.
Our stories to ourselves.
Children’s Stories By Linda Stowe
