Hansel and Gretel Caught in the Divorce

From the Tales of Dr. Mother Grimm-Goose; PhD of Fictional Dysfunction and Fairy Tale Family Counseling

Once upon a time not so different than the times we live in now there was a divorced father of two children who fell in love with a woman who fell in love with him and his two children, Hansel and Gretel. He worked hard to provide for his family as a woodcutter, but woodcutting is a hard business. Struggling to meet the ever changing safety requirements, state and federal mandates, and appease the environmentalists, while still providing the much needed lumber made things very difficult for the business. Fortunately, he married a very supportive woman who did her best to help make ends meet, working when she could and caring for the children.

However, things were further made difficult for the woodcutter and his wife by his witchy ex-wife. Their divorce had left the woodcutter paying debts that made being frugal and thrifty necessary. And while the woodcutter and his wife worked hard to provide Hansel and Gretel with a good home, they were sometimes just able to do so. Hansel and Gretel had their own rooms filled with many of their favorite toys, closets full of nice clothes, and always had home cooked meals; however, like all children there was always something more they wanted.

Even though their stepmother was loving and caring, Hansel and Gretel accused her of being unfair and mean when she asked them to clean their rooms. They hated it when she helped them with their homework, which she tried to do because their father spent all day woodcutting, not coming home until evening when the kids had gotten out of school hours before. They complained of her cooking, which was always well balanced. No matter how much the stepmother did the children were never completely satisfied and would complain, encouraged by their witchy-mother.

You see, even though the woodcutter and the witch had divorced they still were father and mother to Hansel and Gretel, and though the children primarily lived with their father and his loving wife, they did get to spend weekends and summers with their witchy-mother. Now it isn