I won’t grow up!

_Elsa_

Elsa remembers the song ‘Never Grow Up’ and begins to sing it out loud.

Santa knows about the story and wants to share it with them. 

“Have you ever read about the author who wrote that story?,” questions Santa. “Let me share some information about him and the story.”

‘The original story was written by a man named J.M. Barrie, who had an unsettling obsession with young boys. The author was six years old when he lost his 13-year-old brother, and he couldn’t cope with the trauma. He couldn’t grasp the idea that he will continue to grow, and his brother wouldn’t. He used this pain in his works, giving his stories an eerie undertone.  

Margaret and Alexander Barrie are the parents of James Matthew “J.M.” Barrie, who was born in the Scottish town of Kirriemuir in 1860. He had one older brother who was considered “the perfect child” (we all have one of those in the family). Sadly, the golden child who everyone adored fell and cracked his skull after being hit by an ice skater.  

Unfortunately, David was never the same mentally and eventually died due to the injury. Supposedly, J.M. was comforted by the fact that in a way, his brother would stay a boy forever. I think you can see where this is going. From this point on, a fascination with boys and preserving their innocence was ingrained into Barrie’s psyche.

In 1894, Barrie moved to London, where he met and married a woman named Mary Ansell. He gave his wife a St. Bernard dog as a wedding present. The couple never had children together, and evidence suggests that Barrie never consummated their marriage. He did, however, speak about his toxic six-year marriage with Ansell in his story “Tommy and Grizel” (1990).  

Barrie wrote, “Grizel, I seem to be different from all other men; there seems to be some curse upon me… You are the onlywoman I ever wanted to love, but apparently, I can’t.” Barrie and Ansell’s relationship didn’t last, which doesn’t really come as a surprise. They were divorced by 1909.  

Barrie met a couple of boys in an area attached to London’s Hyde Park known as Kensington Gardens back in 1889. He noticed George and Jack Llewelyn Davies walking with their nurse. He reportedly befriended the four and five-year-olds after meeting their parents, Arthur and Sylvia.

The couple later had more sons: Peter, Michael, and Nico. For some reason, the Davies family allowed Barrie into their lives. After a short time, he gradually turned into “Uncle Jim.” This is a little bit disturbing, considering he wasn’t their uncle at all. He was a random guy who saw two kids at the park and became friends with them.’ (Source)

Now isn’t that kind of interesting? 

Let’s continue - All children, except one, grow up …

Start at the beginning – Elsa learns how to play again