By Shirley Genga

We all grew up reading fairy tales, with Cinderella being one of the most popular for young girls.

The story of the beautiful orphan who had an evil stepmother and ugly, evil stepsisters who treated her like crap, but everything changed when a handsome rich prince came to town and saved her. Yeah right.

Granted the prince did not even have the courtesy to remember the face of the lady he danced with all night, and thus had to use a damn shoe to determine her identity. Cinderella was, however, still saved from all her problems. And the two went on to live happily ever after. Humph.

Magic

Before you start throwing stones at me for not having a romantic bone, I do love fairy tales and believe they are great stories for the young who still believe in magic. But that is no excuse for old women to refuse to outgrow fairy tales, judging by how some of them behave, and grow up.

There are women who have gone to some of the best schools in this country and have many degrees to their names, but they still dream about ‘Cinderella’.

They are still waiting unapologetically for a very rich prince charming to ride into town and to save them. From what, you may ask?

These women have taken their Cinderella ambitions to a whole new level. They believe getting a boyfriend today is equivalent to getting a financial plan. Thus poor unsuspecting men find themselves paying for everything from hair bills, to fuel bills, to house rent, to grocery bills, yet they are dating the so called “independent woman” who has a well-paying job. Ladies please, a man is not a financial plan!

Sadly, this is not just a single girl problem. It also rears its ugly head in marriages today, where wives who have good jobs still think it is okay to freeload on their husbands’ earnings, while providing nothing for the financial stability of their families. While others think it is okay to not have a career despite going to school, all in the name of having a husband who can pay the bills.

Charming

The younger girls have even taken a more dangerous and aggressive liking to this rubbish. They have rich old men who act as their fairy good mother with an ATM-type magic wonder, as they sit pretty and wait patiently for that illusive prince charming to ride into their lives with financial security. Never mind they have the opportunity to go to school and get good jobs.

For some reason, so many women seem to think the height of success as a woman is to get a handsome rich man who will take care of everything. They think we are too fragile, too delicate, and too needful of protection to stand-alone.

Unfortunately for those dreamers waiting for a rich prince charming, the handful of millionaires in town can’t ravish all of you.

Unhappiness

In short, this is your fate: A mistress position to some rich guy who will never leave his wife, loneliness because you are waiting for prince charming to ride into town and he does not exist, and unhappiness because the man you have is nothing like prince charming.

And you know the best part? You deserve it.