“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” -Proverbs 22:6, NKJV
“No matter what you say Children won't listen. No matter what you know Children refuse To learn. Guide them along the way. Still, they don't listen. Children can only grow From something you love To something you lose.” -Into the Woods
Another major theme of Into the Woods is intergenerational trauma. The sins of the parents do indeed visit the lives of their children, as seen in the many different relationships throughout the musical. One of the primary examples is that of The Witch, her unseen mother, and Rapunzel. As do so many parents, The Witch is trying to avoid the mistakes of her mother in raising Rapunzel; however, while she is avoiding those pitfalls, The Witch stumbles into others. The Witch laments not fully listening to her mother and her warning of guarding the magical beans. When The Baker’s father crawls back over the wall with the magical beans, The Witch pays a costly price. She experiences the curse of disobedience when she is struck with what she deems physical ugliness.
In her relationship with Rapunzel, like so many parents, The Witch attempts to use overprotection to prevent Rapunzel from feeling the same pains The Witch felt. By keeping Rapunzel locked away from the world, The Witch believes she can spare her adopted daughter from the wolves. Unfortunately, in her good desire to protect Rapunzel, The Witch perpetuates the harmful trauma she received at her mother’s hand. If only Rapunzel would listen to The Witch, they could both be saved from the intergenerational trauma, or so The Witch believes.
The Bible tells stories of horrific intergenerational trauma from Abraham to Eli to Saul to David. Time and time again, the parents in the Bible demonstrate just how complicated the role of a parent can be and how, despite our best efforts, sin still wreaks havoc on families. There are two extremes most parents appear to fall into as they guide their children: extremely permissive or extremely controlling. Both approaches recognize the sinful nature of children, but these methods are opposite in their response to their children’s sinfulness. Those who follow the path of The Witch and seek to control every aspect of their children’s lives often find themselves estranged from their children or lacking a real relationship. On the other hand, the overly permissive parent often finds themselves reeling from a child’s sense of entitlement or losing control of their children altogether. Even the most balanced of parents who seek a middle ground can find themselves victims of the choices of their children. What is a parent to do?
Parents must recognize that our children ultimately belong to the Heavenly Father, and children, like all human beings, are finally accountable to God. We must hold our children with open hands and recognize that, while we might fail them, the Heavenly Father never will. We must strive to train up children in the way they should go; ultimately, we must entrust them to the One who loves our children more than we ever could.
Comments