*Warning might contain spoilers. Don't read if you haven't seen the movie.*
I've always thought of the story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a tale about rotten children who get the just desserts they deserve. But it is actually about bad parents and poor parenting skills.
We learn that behind every spoiled rotten child in the story is an equally bad parent. Let's examine.
Veruca Salt - Spoiled and always gets what she wants. Her parents continuously give in to her every little whim, thereby creating a child who even demands that her father speed up time.
Augustus Gloop - Eats too much candy and is overweight. His mother doesn't respect the nutritional requirements of growing children. America's obesity problem.
Mike TeeVee - a little know-it-all who watches too much TV and plays too many video games. His parents use the television as a baby sitter, not realizing the effect it has on his social skills. The embodiment of the violent video games breed violent kids argument.
Violet Beauregarde - hard driven little girl who looks at everything as a competition. Her mother lives vicariously through her daughter. Like the beauty pageant queens who start at the age of six. JonBenet Ramsey.
Charlie Bucket - Loved his family. Had no material possessions but had a loving, caring family that was always there for him. The perfect child.
Willy Wonka - Hated his father so ran away from home. His father was too restrictive and never let him be a kid. Willy never experienced the joys of having a loving family. He was befuddled when Charlie chose his family over the chocolate factory. Like the child stars who grow up too fast and miss their childhood. They end up permanently damaged and spend their money on building things like Neverland Ranch.
The message: Be involved in your child's upbringing. Don't spoil them, indulge them or act upon their every whim. But also never forget to let them be a kid and experience the joys of growing up.
What a great story.
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