Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty

Original post date: Wednesday, November 14, 2007


Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty

In case you didn't know I have two daughters. I am lucky enough to read them stories before bed most nights. It is fun even though they don't listen...so I thought. I was reading tonight, "BIG little" for Madeleine and Audrey picked out "Sleeping Beauty" one of the many princess books she loves. "BIG little" is a fun book, it is kinda obvious but on one page there is something BIG, say an elephant, and on the opposing page there is something small, a mouse. But there is a little baby in each illustration and Madeleine loves babies so she likes this book.

Then came Audrey's book I will get you familiar with the tale:

Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty
Adapted by Michael Teitelbaum
Illustrated by Sue DiCicco

Long ago, in a faraway land, King Stefan's fair queen gave birth to a daughter.
They named her Aurora.
To honor the baby princess, the king held a great feast.
Nobles and peasants, knights and their ladies - everyone flocked joyfully to the castle.

That is the first page. In reading those four lines I omitted "joyfully". Audrey looked up at me and said, "Daddy you forgot to say 'joyfully.'" Looking at the page I said, "You are right I did - everyone flocked joyfully to the castle."

Further into the book it reads:

Maleficent was furious, for she hadn't been invited to the feast.
"I, too, shall bestow a gift on the child," she said with a sneer.
"She shall indeed grow in grace and beauty. But before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday,
she shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel...and die!"
With a cruel laugh, Maleficent vanished. Everyone in the room was grief-stricken.

Well me being the loving father I am and trying to protect my daughters from the horrors of this cruel world and trying to keep them as innocent as I can for as long as I can, I usually leave off the "...and die!" part. You know she will just prick her finger and that is it. Yeah so I don't know if I have slipped up to many times or if Heather reads those words...I don't think she does either, though. Well, Audrey looks up at me again and whispers, "Daddy you didn't say '...and die.'" And I respond, "You are right Audrey I didn't". I still didn't say it even though she corrected me.

Once again just another example of your kids listening and hanging onto every word you say even if they are playing with a doll and poking their sister, causing her to scream and say, "Mo, Audy, Mo." And no that is not a typo...she can't say "no" yet but she does not have a problem saying "n's" she just doesn't do it with the word "no."

Just be aware - you are being watched and listened to at all times. It makes you a better person and it molds them into who they are going to be later on in life.