Fun Friday –Chicken Little and other teen tales



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My son told me he wanted to stay all night at a friend’s house for team bonding. His statement was the equivalent of Chicken Little (from the fairy tale) saying “The sky is falling.” Well, the sky wasn’t really falling and I don’t think the overnight gala was for team bonding.

Its football season and I know the fellas like to hang out together, but team bonding? I’m sure that phrase was used to warm my heart so I would let me so go to his friend’s house. I would be neglecting my parental duty if I didn’t investigate further.

As Chicken Little crossed the road, Pinocchio entered the scene (same son, new line of questioning from me).

“Are Kevin’s parents going to be home?”

“His mom said he could have a few friends over since school is starting soon.”

“Hmmm.” I waited to see if his nose would grow.

After a pregnant pause and a glare in his direction, I rephrased my question as you sometimes see when taking a survey. “So, does Kevin’s parents know he’s inviting people over?”

I want to see if he would give the same response. He passed. However, I still wanted to talk to Kevin’s mom to make sure she knew what the boys were planning.

After I was satisfied with all the answers I received, my son left with his backpack headed for team bonding.

As I used fairy tale characters to describe an encounter with my son, I am reminded of a recent article I read. The article said that fairy tales are essential in childhood. While not everyone likes fairy tales, here are three reasons the article gave as benefits of fairy tales:

1.      Fairy tales show kids how to handle problems.

2.      Fairy tales develop a child’s imagination.

3.      Fairy tales give parents opportunities to teach critical thinking skills.

To view the article click here.

Are you a fan of fairy tales? What fairy tale could you use to describe an encounter with your child?