Goldilock’s Grandmother Helps Her Recover From a Bear-Induced Trauma

A modern-day remake of the Goldilocks story

Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health; safe connections are fundamental to meaningful and satisfying lives. ― Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

Goldilocks and the Three Bears — Remastered

Once upon a time, there was a sweet little girl with an awesome grandma — an extraordinary wise woman who possessed a luscious head of silvery hair that was the envy of her many gray-haired friends.

The neighborhood folk playfully dubbed her Silverlocks and her adorable granddaughter — Goldilocks. They were affectionately known as Silver and Goldie throughout the quaint trailer park.

Goldie had inherited her grandmother’s splendid hair, an excessive curiosity, and the desire to attain the “just right” results from all available options.

And then, one day, little Goldie had a horrific encounter with a family of bears while exploring the forbidden wooded area behind her grandma’s homey mobile home. Here’s the tale of how Goldilock’s curiosity almost created a very unhappy ending.

It was a beautiful June day, and I threw open the windows to breathe in the scent of new life. Finishing up the breakfast dishes, I was startled when Goldie burst through the door. She gasped in broken sobs, barely able to form words with her trembling lips,

“Grandma, it — it was — aw — awful — and I — I saw a bear!”

Instantly, I wrapped my arms around my little Goldie and enfolded her into my pillowy body, “Oh no! Honey, are you alright?! Are you hurt?”

After several minutes of holding her close and keeping my voice calm, she swallowed and whimpered, “No, I’m okay — but you’re going to be mad if I tell you what happened.”

“I tell you what — I promise not to yell. Just sit down, and I’ll make us some of my famous hot chocolate with marshmallows and whip cream,” I said with the warmest smile I could muster. The truth is, I needed the chocolate way more than Goldie.

We took our mugs of steamy cocoa and huddled together on the cozy loveseat. She described her phenomenal discovery of the hidden bear cave in the woods beyond the trailer lot.

After she finished, I told Goldie this story,

“I was about your age when the same thing happened to me. You see, one day I was visiting my grandparent’s mountain cabin. And just like you, I disobeyed and went into the woods and discovered an abandoned bear den. I knew the bear’s long winter nap was over — so I went in. I was a curious little girl and wondered if the inside of a bear’s home would be like the Pooh Bear in my storybook.”

“Oh, Grandma, you were just like me! So what happened next?”

“Well, I was distraught to find just a smelly bed of damp, dirty leaves and rodent leftovers from old winter meals. But then — out of nowhere came a terrifying roar from an enormous daddy bear and a loud scary growl from his wife standing right behind him. I ran as fast as I could, screaming all the way back to the cabin. Well, I gotta tell you — I even peed my pants!”

Goldie was overcome by her adorable little girl giggles, “You actually wet your pants?!”

“Yes! And my grandpa was so angry that he gave me a firm spanking on my wet behind and a scolding, warning me that ‘curiosity kills the cat’ and that if he ever caught me playing in the woods by myself again, the punishment would be very —well — way worse.”

“Grandma, are you going to spank me?”

“Heavens no — you’ve suffered enough already, and I haven’t a doubt that you’ve learned that my rules about safety are pretty smart. Not only that, but I got to learn a few wonderful things about you.”

Goldie’s eyes widened with disbelief, “You learned something GOOD about ME!? How could that be when I’ve done such a bad and stupid thing?”

“Well, for one thing, you have a hearty curious nature, and that’s a good thing unless you’re breaking a rule, of course. And your imagination is magnificent! While I was disgusted by the bear’s den, you imagined a wonderful bear house furnished with beds, chairs, and even a yummy warm breakfast.”

And I emphasized, “Not only that, but by sharing your imaginary world, I can tell you’re a girl who knows what she wants and takes her time to check out all the options before making a just right decision.”

“Oh, thank you, Grandma, I love you so much!

And with her sparkling eyes and precocious grin, Goldie teased,

“By the way, I was wondering if we could maybe drive into town and get, you know — a just right ice cream cone!”

Goldie continues to grow to become a woman who rarely feels shame and learns from her mistakes. She revels in her imagination and knows what she wants and how to weigh her options.

And best of all, Goldie rarely settles for anything or anyone that doesn’t feel “just right” to her sensibilities.

Silver enjoys watching her precious grandchild’s life unfold, unencumbered by insecurities and fear. And in her spare time, Silver feeds her curiosity by googling for answers to the endless questions her inquiring mind wants to know.

Recently, she came across some fascinating history about the original Goldilocks tale. A man named Robert Southey wrote the first version in 1837, titled “The Story of the Three Bears.” Instead of Goldilocks, the main character was a nasty old woman. In the original plot, Wikipedia describes her like this:

She has been sent out by her family because she is a disgrace to them. She is impudent, bad, foul-mouthed, ugly, dirty, and a vagrant deserving of a stint in the House of Correction.

That made Silver think about other fairy tales in which older women get a bad rap. For example, one lives in a forest and eats children, and in another story, a grandma gets eaten by a wolf!

And she wonders if some beloved children's classics might infect the minds of young impressionable psyches causing negative biases toward the elderly — even grandparents!

With this insight, Silver decided she would join in the fight against Ageism by remastering old fairy tales and outdated children’s books — especially those portraying elders as scheming witchy old women and belligerent dirty old men.

Now, that’s what we call — a very bear-y happy ending!

The End

My granddaughter Grace inspired this story.

Thanks for reading! And below are the links to a couple more of my Grace-inspired essays.