Reading this excerpt The Childs Need for Magic by Bruno Bettleheim, reminded me of some of the joys of my childhood. Dreaming about knights and dragons, reading about gingerbread houses, and watching movies about lion kings and jungle books. I wonder what I would be like today had I not been exposed to these childhood wonders. I feel that Bettleheim is correct, and that "magic" helps develop children into healthy, well-adjusted adults.
             I have never really put any thought into this subject before, however after reading this excerpt, I personally agree with Bettleheim and his thesis on fantasy and the child psyche. I now ponder about my own childhood experiences, remembering movies, stories, and songs and my reactions and thoughts accompanying them. I presently have two young children as neighbours; and Bettleheim's points and details about children's mentality help me to explain some of their thoughts and actions. Things that I just cast off as being "childish" now make sense, as I now begin to understand and comprehend how these little boys are thinking. He mentions "(in late adolescence) years of belief in magic are called upon to compensate for the persons having been deprived of it prematurely in childhood." He explains that young people today seek escape in drugs and black magic because they were prematurely pressed to view reality in an adult way. To avoid these anti-social tendencies, children need to be exposed to the "magic" of fairy tales, and such adventures.
             I feel that as children grow up in a big and scary world, cartoons and fairy tales can often provide an explanation and rationalization for science, principles, and social behaviors. The world needs the likes of people such as Walt Disney, Chuck Jones, Charles Schulz, Jim Hensen, Frank Oz, and the Warner brothers, who help prepare children for the transition into the adult world through the medium of comedic...