You ever realize that there’s a much more entertaining “lesson” in a kid’s story or parable than the traditional interpretation? One of my favorites comes from the inimitable Mr. Garak:
Ricky Gervais told that exact story in his stand up. He also talked about the two mice:
One mouse is diligent during the plentiful summer months, building a home and collecting food. Another, lazier mouse just lounges around eating during the times of plenty, not bothering to think about what he’ll do during the winter. When winter comes the hard-working mouse has a nice, warm home and plenty of stockpiled food. The lazy mouse is caught out in the cold, starving and unsheltered from the elements. Lazy mouse, seeing diligent mouse all nice and cozy in his home, knocks at the door.
Diligent mouse: “Yes?”
Lazy mouse: “I was foolish… I didn’t prepare for the future during the times of plenty and now I’m cold and I’m hungry… can I please come in? And can I have some food?”
Diligent mouse: “Sure. Come on in.”
Thus, the real message isn’t to be diligent and work hard to prepare to the future- the real message is to mooch off of those who have and you can get away without having done any work.
I thought it was “to each according to his need, from each according to his ability”. 
“The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein
Stated moral: You should give and give and give to those who you love.
Actual moral: Take, take and take from those who care for you, to the point of utterly destroying them and taking every single thing they have.
Actual moral #2: some trees are really stupid.
Tortoise and the Hare:
Supposed moral: hard work and perseverance wins every time.
Actual moral: Don’t do drugs.
The Lazy Mouse and the Industrious Mouse (Ricky Gervais)
He also does a bit on the moral lessons of Jack & Jill and Humpty Dumpty
This is clever, but it’s not true.
Consider the case where the boy did tell different lies:
Day One: There’s a wolf! … No, ha ha fooled you!
Day Two: There’s a bear! … No, ha ha fooled you!
Day Three: Fire! … No, ha ha fooled you!
Day Four: Velociraptors! … no, *really *velociraptors! I’m not lying, I’m not, I’m not. I’m AAUGH Oh gods, the pain, sweet merciful Hermes, the pain… please, at least let them start eating me from the head…
If someone’s lied to you three times, it doesn’t matter if it was the same lie or a different one each time. The fourth time he asks for your help, you’re going to ignore him. The only way the shepherd boy can rely on the villagers to save him in his hour of need is to ensure that they trust his cries for help. The details of the lies are immaterial.
That said, the lesson behind Golidlocks is NOT “Don’t break into other people’s houses” but “Don’t fall asleep when you’re breaking and entering - get in, eat the porridge, get out.” And the lesson behind Rapunzel is “When your wife keeps nagging you to get her something she really craves, best just ignore her.”
When does the hare do drugs?
In March – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_Hare.
Bull.
If the boy yells “Velociraptors”, you come running. Because, hey, velociraptors. You wouldn’t want to miss that.
The early bird gets the worm. Great advice, I shan’t be the early worm.
Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater: gourds can also double as handy woman-storage devices.
“It’s a good thing.” -Martha Stewart
Or at least, you can persuade yourself that you’ve got a wife in there, if they’re kept at the right temperature and you keep your eyes closed.
But the second mouse gets the cheese.
Or, more specifically - if your wife is unfaithful to you, just lock her up and don’t allow her any human contact other than you. Then, she’ll never be unfaithful again!
No no.
The actual moral is:
“Don’t feed the beggars”
Princess and the Pea: some bitches will complain about anything, no matter how small.
Hansel and Gretel: Kids are sneaky little beasts. If you need to get rid of some, don’t dispose of the bodies while they’re still moving.
Jack, Pumpkin Eater: Beating your wife is a last resort.
Yeah, but the real ending of the story is:
diligent mouse has a brain hemorrhage and then lazy mouse speeds off in a sportscar to take over a cushy managerial position at the local nut factory.
It’s just much more like real life that way.
There’s an Oglaf thread here somewhere, but here’s my favorite boy who cried wolf story.
The above link is SFW, but others toons in the series most assuredly are not.