If you think children are exposed to too much violence these days – wait until you hear about the olden days...

Many modern-day parents go to great lengths to shield their children from fictional violence...

In the olden days, some parents did just the opposite. Scary children’s stories have been around for a long time and were intended to teach us some lessons. Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel had to learn the hard way – and they weren’t alone. Get a load of these other terrifying tales intended to teach kids a thing or two, the old fashioned way:

• When “Little Suck-A-Thumb” wouldn’t stop, he had both of his thumbs cut off with a giant pair of scissors by the local tailor in 1876. This gem was written by German psychiatrist Heinrich Hoffmann.

• In “The Cry Baby,” a mother cautions her daughter not to cry so much but the girl doesn’t listen—and literally cries her eyes out.

• You may be able to predict how “The Dreadful Story of the Matches” turns out. The little girl who plays with matches sets herself ablaze.

• No happy ending for “Flying Robert.” When the little boy ventures outside in a storm, a gust of wind takes Robert far, far away – presumably to his doom.