The Daily Dad

They Need Stories

5 snips
Apr 24, 2026
A defense of keeping myths, fables, and histories alive for children. A case against over‑correcting stories and reducing learning to tests. Practical ideas for reading Aesop and the Odyssey to teach character and stoic lessons.
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INSIGHT

Stories Are A Human Necessity

  • Humans need stories as fundamentally as food and water because for most of human history knowledge passed through stories across generations.
  • Ryan Holiday cites David McCullough's History Matters to argue stripping myths and stories erodes essential cultural transmission and meaning.
INSIGHT

Stripping Myths Diminishes Humanity

  • Removing myths for political correctness or efficiency diminishes a vital part of being human and our ability to transmit identity and survival knowledge.
  • McCullough warns that ignoring story traditions makes us "something less than human."
ADVICE

Teach Stories Over Just Testable Facts

  • Do prioritize teaching children literature, myths, legends, and history over purely testable classroom content to convey wisdom and values.
  • Ryan Holiday practices this by reading Aesop, the Odyssey, and writing fables like The Boy Who Would Be King for his kids.
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