How are fairy tales bad examples, you ask? I shall demonstrate. Cinderella doesn't do her chores, so she's not allowed to go to the ball. Sounds reasonable, right? (She was so vain that she knew if she met the prince, he would fall in love with her!) Then her fairy godmother shows up and solves all her problems. The godmother only asks that she be back by midnight (that's when her insurance coverage runs out!)

So off Cinderella goes, and sure enough, the prince sees her and falls in love (she hogs him all to herself and the other guests go home disappointed). Cinderella suddenly realizes that she is late for curfew and runs home (carelessly leaving her shoe behind).

The next day, the prince comes looking for the person who fits the shoe (she was so wrapped up in herself she didn't even tell him her name). Her stepmother has sent her to her room to do homework and since she wasn't at the ball (or so the stepmother thinks), she obviously wouldn't fit the shoe. Cinderella, however, puts up such a fuss that the prince notices and she is called down to meet him. The shoe fits, she marries the prince, and her step-sisters (who did nothing wrong) have to live at home all their lives!

--THIS STORY HAS THREE MORALS--

1) Breaking the rules is OK as long as you don't get caught.

2) Beauty is everything.

3) You have to marry a rich guy to be happy.

So now I leave you to decide -- are fairy tales corrupting the young minds of tomorrow???

-Wobby