I volunteer with Tesfa’s Spark group. Last week we did the write a story where everyone in the group says a sentence and then moves on to the next person. If you’ve ever been to anything involving children (camp, school, etc.), you’ve likely played this game. I had a group of girls who love princesses. I mean, really LOVE princesses. Obviously, our story had to be about a princess wearing a big puffy pink dress.
Ugggggggghhhhhh.
Then there was a dragon and the princess was frightened.
Uggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh.
Then the princess wanted the prince to come save her.
Ugggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Why does the princess need the prince? Can’t she do it herself? I asked.
There was a long pause as four little faces gave me a confused look.
She does have a sword hidden in her dress one of the little girls finally said.
The princess killed the dragon with the sword she had in her dress and saved herself I wrote.
Another long pause as four little faces gave me a confused look.
Then the fire department came one of the girls said.
Yeah! said another. They turned on the water and used the hose.
Our collaborative story degenerated a fair deal after that.
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ugggghhhhh indeed. I wouldn’t say you were bullying, though — just asking a few questions and helping to shape where the story goes. Kind of scary just how much 6 year olds have already unquestioningly absorbed the trope of ‘princess needs to be saved’ though. I wonder what the same story with a group of 6 year old boys, or a mixed group, would have produced…
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I still feel a bit like I bullied them into writing what I wanted regarding princess-agency.
I did let them write “poop” for another activity, so maybe that’ll even things out.