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When I was growing up, back in the Ice Age, moral stories were common and children understood them.
"The Three Little Pigs" was not just a story about three pigs building houses in the forest. It was a moral story about work ethic and the blessings of building things to last. Of course, the moral of the story in modern adaptations is lost in the sweet ever-afterings. In the modern world, pigs are not eaten by big bad wolves and wolves don’t die in boiling pots, even if it means getting rid of the moral of the story altogether. In our society, where every player gets a participation trophy, the reason for the watered-down moral of the three pigs makes perfect sense. Someone’s feelings might get hurt if the ending is not softened.
"The Ant and the Grasshopper" used to be a story about preparing for the future, where the pangs of hunger of a starving grasshopper was the reward for playing all summer, and the ant’s reward was a warm cozy place with a plethora of food to surround him. In our modern version, the grasshopper is invited into the ant’s plenty and never has to atone for his folly. He is free to dance, sing and play all next summer. Again, the moral of the story is lost in the feel-good, warm fuzziness of our society.
Of course, it is genuinely nice for the ant to share with the grasshopper, but what if 10 lazy grasshoppers moved in with the ant? The ant would suffer. I wonder how many ants would prepare for the winter knowing the grasshopper would move in. Without the moral, and the truth embedded in the story, the story loses value and meaning.
There is also the story of the "Three Billy Goats Gruff." Of course, we know trolls are mean, ugly and miserly. Who would set up a bridge and threaten to eat those who pass over it? The troll owned the bridge, and he should be able to decide who crosses. His tactics were less than desirable, but the goats were no better. Each Goat Gruff tells the troll to eat his bigger brother until finally, Great Big Billy Goat Gruff uses his enormous horns to knock the troll into the water and everyone lives happily ever after being able to cross the troll’s bridge to their heart’s content. This sounds a little like protesters who pay no heed to ownership or consequences when they loot someone’s store or business because they don’t like what is going on in the government or society. I am not blaming the billy goats for what is happening, but somewhere kids learned that it’s OK to destroy property if they are upset.
I must wonder what children are learning from the watered-down tales of yesterday. Can they really look at a story and find the moral that was so clear in days gone by? I equally wonder about the tales of today. Are our children getting any moral messages from the literature they are reading?
If adopted, where will our emerging philosophies take our society? How many children will fall into the unsuspecting traps being laid by untried, unproven philosophies? Parents need to ask those questions of the books their children bring home to read. They need to make clear choices about what messages are being sent and received. Is there underlying truth or is there a seething slippery agenda designed to enslave and destroy?
Of course, I would not advocate wolf-eating pigs and wolves dying in boiling water. There needs to be some protection of the innocent and just enjoying a story for the story’s sake. I like the kinder version, but I would make sure my child understood the real moral of the story. I would take time to explain that the two brother pigs lost everything because they did not build houses that would stand against the wind of adversity. It could be a good bridging point to let children know that financial bondage and get-rich schemes are houses made of straw and sticks, and economic downturns are as ravenous as the gales of wind expelled by the wolf in the story.
I would make sure my child understood that the folly of the grasshopper is not good for society. The grasshopper lifestyle is all around us. Debt is rampant in America; even the government spends like there are no rainy days or winter in the forecast. Credit cards with the pleasing phrase, “buy now, pay later,” are a trap. Spending tomorrow’s plenty is a foolish game for the time of scarcity. Grasshoppers with that philosophy, even with the ant’s generosity, will never end well. We need to teach our children to be like the ant, willing to work and to share. Charity is good, but it should never foster laziness. Personal responsibility and independence are always the best option. Look into the future and say, “If my paycheck stopped today, how long could I survive before my debt swallowed me up?” It is a good test to see if you are an ant or a grasshopper.
When I read the "Three Billy Goats Gruff" story to my children, I compare the billy goats to the troll to see if there is any difference between greedy trolls who eat passersby and goats who tell someone to eat their brother because he is tastier and finally kill trolls because they judge them to be less deserving and want the green grass on the other side of the river.
Morals in literature must be scrutinized and discussed with our children. Children read and think the black and white page is gospel, but not every story is true and not every story has a happy ending, no matter how the writer shapes it. Traditional morals are going by the wayside, along with our understanding of symbols and patriotism. Do our children understand the meaning of the flag and how precious our liberty is? History, like our fairy tales, is being shaped and changed to fit the modern vernacular. Parents need to make sure their children are being taught the truth about our forefathers, the Christian values on which our country was founded and our children’s unique role in preserving freedom for future generations.
Make sure they understand that President’s Day isn’t about our current president and a fun day off from school. They need to realize that Flag Day is about our Star-Spangled Banner. Children need to be taught the Fourth of July isn’t about rodeos, picnics and fireworks. It is about soldiers paying a price to secure the blessings of liberty. They need to learn that the laws of the land are designed to protect ants, grasshoppers, billy goats and trolls from tyranny. The big bad wolf of a tyrannical government is real and the Constitution, though imperfect, is a brick house with a boiling pot in the fireplace designed to let bad wolves know they cannot blow a brother’s house down without consequence. It is a document to protect both billy goats and trolls, whether they agree with or like the regulations. Everyone is equal under the law.
Teach your children that the ants of this country keep it alive. They are the workers and the backbone of the economy. Grasshoppers are plentiful, but they will always be the object of welfare or charity, not the object of honor or praise. Ants build for the future and make sure that “all is safely gathered in before the winter storms begin.” Of course, some grasshoppers, through no fault of their own, are truly in need and must be helped. But grasshoppers who seldom think of the future or the past, sing, dance and play all day until the first blast of the winter storm slaps them in the face. They will become too great a burden for the ants, and everyone will be cold and hungry when winter comes.
Children do not always follow the teaching of their parents. Sometimes they follow their friends, like sheep off the cliff. But if we are vigilant parents, our children will one day understand that a moral society that follows tried-and-true principles of self-reliance, industry and independence is the best way to go, even if they must learn it the hard way.
