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Highlands Today

Bedtime Stories For Grown-ups

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Lyn and Bill Roche

Published: October 5, 2007

We read a great deal. Yet, we have some books we've never read. They're collecting dust. Many are volumes we bought ourselves and haven't gotten around to reading.

However, the majority of our unread tomes are more apt to have been gifts - the subjects of which don't interest us one iota. Hanging on to them must have something to do with our fondness of the gift-givers.

We may have purchased a self-help book in the hopes of finding a solution to some personal dilemma. Then, our focus changed or the dilemma simply solved itself. Or, an even worse dilemma took its place before we got past the front cover.

We've also purchased a number of books simply because we met the authors at book signings. Our bookshelves are lined with autographed copies we felt compelled to buy. Such is the case with a book we recently took off the shelf and opened for the first time since we obtained it in 1996.

The book is titled "Bedtime Stories for Grown-ups; Fairy-Tale Psychology." Sue Gallehugh and her son, Allen Gallehugh, wrote the humorous self-help book. We met Sue Gallehugh and she signed a copy for us. It's been hidden in an overcrowded bookshelf ever since.

Last week we were talking about real fairy-tale stories for children and we remembered Gallehughs' book. We suddenly got a curiosity about its contents and retrieved it from its cozy nesting place high on a top shelf.

We discovered the book is full of wit, clever puns, and allegories aimed at teaching adult humans to love ourselves. "Love" as in a healthy appreciation of our unique personalities.

The authors use the storybook characters we knew as children to help us recognize self-defeating behaviors and to illustrate the fundamentals of self-esteem and confidence. The back cover asks, "Is Goldilocks a manipulator? Do Hansel and Gretel have abandonment issues?" As do most fairy-tales or storybooks, each story in the book ends with a moral or a lesson.

The stories are short and perfect for bedtime reading. In the chapter titled "Heaven Helps Those Who Help Them Elves," the poor cobbler is described as an ineffective time manager who often procrastinates. The lesson at the end reads, "Remember: to practice having a good balance between giving and taking is important for your self-worth!" What?

Another chapter titled "Trollin' on a River," describes Billy the Kid, the youngest goat in the Gruff family, as "having a contempt for authority figures similar to the outlaw for whom he was named." The story incorporates witty puns like the successful "That Really Gets My Goat" line of angora and cashmere sweaters. It concludes, "Remember: to practice giving up bitterness by not holding grudges is a big step toward maintaining internal peace!" Okay.

The adult bedtime version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs reveals how labels can cause us to take on roles others expect us to play. "Henpecked" (The Little Red Hen,) "By Hook or By Crook" (The Boy Who Cried Wolf,) and all the cleverly written chapters about personal growth and self-esteem make memorable impressions.

New and used copies can be found online through amazon.com. We can hardly believe we've had the book all these years and are finally partaking of its unique humor and insight. Talk about procrastination!

Lyn and Bill live in Highlands Ridge. Lyn is the author of Coping With Caring: When Someone You Love Has Alzheimer's or a Related Condition. Together they authored Sharing The Care: When Someone You Love Resides in An Adult Care Facility.

©2007 Journey Publications

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