Some Rhymes Can Be Downright Traumatizing
Last night while Nick and I were trying to put Lauren to sleep, Nick started humming Rock-a-bye Baby hoping that would somehow help Lauren to relax and eventually fall asleep.
This was our actual conversation:
Nick: *singing singing singing* Cradle will fall, la la la….
Me: Huh? Cradle falling off the tree? Gosh, are you sure you get the words right?
Nick: You wanna bet? *Immediately turning on his iPhone to google the words up.*
Me: Surely the words can’t be so morbid. Not very reassuring for kids, aren’t they?
Nick: So? What are we betting on? *Obviously have found the search result by now and reading on his iPhone*
Me: I didn’t say you were wrong. I just think the words are too traumatising for kids to hear.
*No way I’m going to bet with him now*
Nick: Listen.
Rock-a-bye baby, in the treetop,
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock.
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
Me: See what I mean? I’m gonna blog about this.
I was in total disbelief. Here my baby is trying to sleep, and we are telling her of some story where a baby and its cradle fall off a tree?
So today I looked up the wordings to other nursery rhymes. Most times, I’d be mindlessly singing or chanting them. Now as I really READ them, they paint a whole new picture. If I’m a kid, I might find these downright terrifying:
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Peter Peter pumpkin eater
Had a wife and couldn’t keep her
He put her in a pumpkin shell
And there he kept her very well!
Huh? Peter holding his wife hostage. Domestic abuse alert!
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Three blind mice, three blind mice,
See how they run, see how they run,
They all ran after the farmer’s wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a thing in your life,
As three blind mice?
Not a fan of mice but neither am I going to teach my kid to cut off any animal’s tail, mouse or not.
London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair lady.
Can you imagine the horror if the bridge does fall?
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Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall,
All the King’s Horses and all the King’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
Humpty died. Enough said.
Do you know of another rhyme that children should never hear?
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I know! When I had my son, I happily went out an drought all the Nursery Rhyme books to share what I loved as a child. I was shocked. Not only are some really traumatic but some are even insulting. I remember a terrible one that was about a Welsh man calling him a drunk, etc. It's funny to look back with a different perspective.
🙂
Traci
I know! When I had my son, I happily went out an drought all the Nursery Rhyme books to share what I loved as a child. I was shocked. Not only are some really traumatic but some are even insulting. I remember a terrible one that was about a Welsh man calling him a drunk, etc. It's funny to look back with a different perspective.
🙂
Traci
I realized the same when I was singing to my dd about jack n jill! There must be a meaning behind the wicked nursery rhymes! Found you from Don't like Mondays link up!
I realized the same when I was singing to my dd about jack n jill! There must be a meaning behind the wicked nursery rhymes! Found you from Don't like Mondays link up!
I totally agree. When my boys were younger I did the same thing. Went through all the nursery rhymes and kids songs and found that I didn't want to teach them any of them. I can't even hear the tune of Oh My Darlin Clementine without getting pissed off.
Hi, I'm stopping by from Family Friday link up. I totally agree with this. My least favorite is that crazy song about the old lady who swallowed a fly and all those other animals until she dies! What the heck?
Hi, I'm stopping by from Family Friday link up. I totally agree with this. My least favorite is that crazy song about the old lady who swallowed a fly and all those other animals until she dies! What the heck?
Aren't they insane? I used to LOVE them as a child and then I got older and I was like, "this can't be right!" Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing on Family Friday's Link-Up Party!
Aren't they insane? I used to LOVE them as a child and then I got older and I was like, "this can't be right!" Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing on Family Friday's Link-Up Party!
Oh my goodness! You are right! I never thought about it like this! Crazy!
This is crazy! It doesn't really surprise me though. Main stream music is the same way. Everyone enjoys the beat and no one cares to listen or understand what the words are really saying. Too many for me are terrifying or go against my beliefs so I don't even support any of it anymore.
Thanks so much for sharing such an important realization with us at Countdown in Style! Don't forget to stop by to see if you are featured! xo
My friend and I were just talking about how bad the lady swallowing the fly and dying was the other day! It's horrible! And it's not just nursery rhymes. Many Disney movies are centered around death/murder: Snow White (attempted murder) and Lion King just to name 2!
You are so right! At least in Snow White and Lion King, it is the baddies that did the killing. Jack and the Beanstalk steals and kills and that was supposed to be the victory! Thanks for stopping by and commenting Julie. Lets share what NOT to teach our children.
You are so right! At least in Snow White and Lion King, it is the baddies that did the killing. Jack and the Beanstalk steals and kills and that was supposed to be the victory! Thanks for stopping by and commenting Julie. Lets share what NOT to teach our children.
Ring a Round the Rosie is about the black plague and not touching those who are dying. But if you take into consideration kids that make up songs about what they see and they don't sugar coat… Thanks for sharing and linking up with Countdown in Style!
~~April~~
100lbCountdown.com
Ring a Round the Rosie is about the black plague and not touching those who are dying. But if you take into consideration kids that make up songs about what they see and they don't sugar coat… Thanks for sharing and linking up with Countdown in Style!
~~April~~
100lbCountdown.com