A case for Children's tragedies

Why does every childrens story need to have a happy ending? By making it this way are we dooming our next generation?

It seems that with the majority of children's literature there is this desire to have everything happy and pleasant where the main character lives out their life just the way they plan. Everything is peaches and cream, sunshine and daisies.

The problem is that the folktales and myths teach valuable lessons about life. When a story is told to a child they hear so much more than a story they hear the lesson that is behind it. The world is not peaches and cream and all that other fuzzy sunshine stuff. Many times a person doesn't get what they want out of life. Not everyone has their loved returned by the object of their affection. Not every person has a happy ending in their own personal story.

It's understandable that an adult would want to protect a child from the harshness of life. It is inherent in our nature. However, there is a point where we have to draw the line. Stories are meant to prepare the children for life. If we give them these ideas that everything is going to turn out all sweet and nice like the many stories we have told them through out their life then that is what they are going to expect. The child will be sincerely disappointed.

In other pieces that I have done I have not spoken favorably about the Disney name. The reason for my disdain for them is that when they get their hands on one of these original myths and folktales they put their own spin on it. Which, is ok but they make the stories sugar coated and toned down from their original versions. The prime example of this is The Little Mermaid. The original version is a tragedy. It's sad the Little Mermaid doesn't get the love of her life. Though she doesn't get her love she still has a sense of respect for the girl who does get him. Her ending is bitter sweet. She lives on as an angel of sorts with the opportunity to move on to an afterlife like humans. Sometimes this is just the way that life ends up. Children need to have this message sent to them through such mediums as their stories. This way they know they are not the only ones going through the hard times and also for that little bit of reality that things may not always turn out the way they want them to.