Why I read my kids Fairy tales

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales.” Albert Einstein is quoted as saying. “If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”

As a mother, I love sharing fantastical adventures that will allow my children to believe that love will conquer all and good will always triumph over evil. I love seeing the smiles on their sweet faces as Cinderella marries her Prince Charming and hear the words ‘happily ever after’. Perhaps that is reason enough why fairy tales are important, because they make us happy. 

“Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist,” English writer G.K. Chesterton says, “but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

Let’s face it, life is hard. Negativity is everywhere. The reason why Fairy tales are so important is because they remind us to dream. It allows us to dare to believe that there’s our very own happy ending somewhere out there waiting to happen. 

Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale of all. — Hans Christian Anderson

I grew up singing the songs of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. However, my favorite Disney Princess song is when Belle is standing in a wide, expansive field and you can hear the emotion in her voice as she sings: 

I want much more than this provincial life
I want adventure in the great wide somewhere
I want it more than I can tell
And for once it might be grand
To have someone understand
I want so much more than they've got planned

I want my children to believe they are truly capable of accomplishing anything in this world through hard work; to be strong enough to break through barriers and stereotypes; to have hope despite the evils that are so prevalent in this world today. Most importantly, I want them to understand that even though life is not easy, it can be vastly rewarding when we are striving to be kind.

So yes, I read my children Fairy tales. I fill their heads with stories of flying carpets, sleeping princesses, and girls that can save the world. I remind them that you don’t have to be perfect to have your own happily ever after, but you do have to believe that it is possible to have one.

GRAVESEND: A SMUGGLER'S PARADISE

 

My next book takes place in the ancient town of Gravesend, located in Kent, England. This town is rich in history, birthplace of Charles Dickens, and the final resting place for Pocahontas.

Back in the 18th century, the Thames estuary coast was not easily defined. All ships heading for London had to thread their way through treacherous channels and numerous mud-banks to find a safe harbor.
Many ships made unscheduled stops in the sticky mud, claiming their overnight wait was for the tide to shift. However, more times than not, this was just a ploy to unload half their cargo into small boats that suddenly appeared out of the gloom. From the ship's deck, the crew members would toss out parcels into the passing rowing boats.

Once ashore, and into the hands of the smugglers, pursuit was virtually impossible by the Revenue men, since the low-lying lands had large brackish pools and wide drainage dykes. 

Furthermore, it has been claimed that the smugglers dug a network of tunnels, which ran the length of Gravesend.

Gravesend was truly a smuggler's paradise.

 

1800's Medical Cures... Some worked. And some fell far short.

As I have been researching the medical practices of the early 19th century, I have found myself in awe at some of the medications that were administered for various ailments. Due to the lack of knowledge at the time, doctors tended to treat the symptoms, rather than the disease. During the 19th century, hospitals were only located in large cities and most physicians catered to the upper classes of society, leaving apothecaries or midwives for the lower classes. Most of medicines that were prescribed were used to make the patient as comfortable as possible, while nature took its course and the patient could heal on his own. It is interesting to note that some treatments are still used today, such as baking soda to brush the teeth or ease indigestion. I have complied a list of common ailments and the recommend medical cure in the 1800s: In 1849, Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup was marketed for restless infants and small children, who were teething. Unfortunately, each bottle contained 65 mg of pure morphine… and so much more. Camphor was known to ease itchy skin. Mercury was a common elixir that was supposed to rejuvenate the body. (It also was a “cure” for syphilis.) Opium was known to stop diarrhea almost instantly Apple pectin was known to stop arthritis, as was honey. Bloodletting was used for, well, basically everything. By withdrawing blood  from a patient, it was believed that it helped cure illness and disease. Sadly, this “cure” went on for over 2,000 years and finally ended in the late 19th century. Castor oil was used for everything from a general health tonic to a chest compress for coughs and colds. Teas made from motherwort were often used to “calm the nerves.” (On a good note, this is a mild sedative and it works remarkably well.) Painful menstruation was often treated with a tea of red raspberry leaves. Women suffering from fainting spells were often given a large tablespoon of vinegar. Cures for colds and the flu were varied but drinking rabbit dung tea seemed to be effective. What cure is your favorite?