Something fun to do in Oregon is to visit the Enchanted Forest outside of Salem. Built into a wooded mountain side, kids can interact with various Grimm fairy tales before their Disney glow-up. I went as a kid and I’ve taken my daughters several times as well. They have a cute Humpty Dumpty, scenes from Alice in Wonderland, and the candy house from Hansel and Gretel complete with fiery stove. It’s pretty on the outside and legitimately scary inside. 

Let’s remember that several of the old stories were cautionary tales. My daughters said that their teachers have warned them about strangers with candy. In their version, the villain drove a white van, but the ending is the same, look out for strangers giving you sweets, they may have bad intentions. 

More recently, my youngest wanted to see the film Coraline, another a local creation. The stop-animation cartoon is about a girl frustrated by her parents’ move across the country, rainy days and focus on work over her needs and wants. As a working-from-home mom, I cringed. The girl gets lured away by an “other mother” who makes delicious dinners and showers Coraline with attention. It’s a ruse and her nefarious plot is to steal her eyes and life. Yikes! 

And yet, watching politicians gives me a similar feeling. Strangers with promises of tax-cuts that intend to steal our eyes and devour lives. Ultimately, the childhood tales are not really about children at all, but about the interactions of innocence, desire and evil. We have to learn not be lead by hungry stomachs, protect our eyes and guard our souls before it’s too late.