When I first stumbled on that old Grimm tale about the three spinning women, I thought “Hey, this might work for kids night!” Yeah, big mistake right off the bat. Grabbed my worn-out Grimm book, started reading…and wow. Stuff gets dark fast. Mutilated fingers? Swollen feet? People getting thrown into rivers? Nah, my nephew would’ve had nightmares for weeks. Had to totally rethink this.
Here’s What I Actually Did Step-By-Step:
First, Skimed through the original story for usable bits. Flipped pages, scribbling notes like crazy. The three women appearing to help a girl spin? Cool concept. The queen demanding impossible tasks? Classic tension. But all that body horror? Straight into the mental trash can. I needed something warm and fuzzy, not nightmare fuel. My dog looked worried just seeing my frustrated face.
Next, Brainstormed replacements. Sat at my kitchen table, coffee cold and forgotten. What’s fun about spinning? Colors! Sparkles! Friendly challenges! Dumped the grotesque features. Instead, gave each spinning woman a unique vibe: Silvia with her glittery gold thread, Thistledown with soft-as-cloud cotton, Bramble who spun wild rainbow yarn. Each one quirky and likeable – like fun neighbors, not cursed beings. Tested the names out loud. Bramble got a thumbs up from the dog.
Then, Reworked the whole ‘impossible task’ angle. Original queen felt downright cruel. Ugh. Made her stern but fair – a practical queen who needed help preparing for winter. Her big test wasn’t about breaking the girl’s spirit; it was seeing if she could handle big responsibilities with help from her new friends. Rewrote that dialogue three times. Used my favorite blue pen until it ran dry.
Key changes I made:
- Ditched the bloody fingers for sparkling, uniquely colored thread wrapped gently around each woman’s hand. Way more fairy-tale sparkle.
- Swapped swollen feet for magical boots! Gave each woman special boots (shimmering, moss-covered, root-woven) hinting at where they came from – sky, forest, garden. Kids love cool footwear!
- Made the spinning itself fun! Gold thread shimmered and sang softly, cotton thread puffed like clouds, rainbow thread zig-zagged energetically.
- Turned the queen’s demand into gathering supplies for winter – warm blankets, strong ropes, bright decorations. Community teamwork focus!
Testing It Out – The Real Deal
Road-tested it during niece’s bedtime. Turned off the big light, used my reading lamp. Stopped every few pages to ask her things. “What color would YOUR magic thread be?” (Answer: “All the purples!”). “What would Bramble’s boots feel like?” (“Like… bumpy tree hugs!”). Got genuine giggles at Thistledown sneezing a puff of cotton. The relief was real.
Final result? Worked like a charm. The core magic – helpers, a challenge, kindness rewarded – stayed true without the Grimm weird and bloody stuff. My niece asked for it again the next night. THAT felt like winning. Keeping this rewritten version ready for the next family gathering. Might even try making some actual sparkly thread myself… wish me luck!
