Back in December, when Scott, the kids and I were still in Utah staying with Scott's parents, we would read the boys a book of nursery rhymes before bed. When we got to The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, I was shocked and appalled at the words I read. Apparently it had been years since I last heard or read it.
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,
She had so many children she didn't know what to do,
She gave them some broth without any bread,
Then whipped them all soundly and sent them to bed.
This old woman, with no apparent husband, is a bit promiscuous (in the book many of the children look to be from several different ethnicity's, which suggests different fathers, I'm just sayin') and irresponsibly conceives more children than she can handle. She then beats them and sends them to bed with pretty much empty stomachs. My mouth literally dropped. Its not the kids fault she had so many. Do they deserve to be sent to bed after no real dinner to speak of, and a beating? This is a classic case of child abuse. Is this the kind of thing I want to read to my children?!
After arriving home weeks later, we got out our own book of nursery rhymes, and read them to the kids, and once again came up with a few "gems".
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.
To me Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater screams homicide! Peter didn't like his wife, so he killed her, and possibly buried her body in the pumpkin patch! I'm glad peter isn't my husband.
And finally...
Old King Cole was a merry ol' soul,
And a merry ol' soul was he,
He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers' three.
Is this king doing drugs or what? His "pipe" and "bowl" sound like maybe he's got a little marijuana habit! I don't know if I'm going to read this stuff to them anymore.
Do you have any examples of seemingly innocent children's literature that maybe isn't as innocent as you thought?
2 comments:
I noticed that a while back. We checked out a book from the library with nursery rhymes and I found that I had to change words all over the place because some of them were just too violent. I remember reading the "Musicians of Bremen." It's an old story, but all of these animals find each other because they run away from their owners who were going to kill them. And it't not like a cow who is going to be eaten. Even though that doesn't need to be pointed out either. No, this was like a cat who was going to be drowned. Seriously. This is a children's story?
I totally know how you feel.
My friend Shauna and I were talking about this just last week. She was telling me in her college literature for elem ed teacher was telling them all about the real meaning behind nursery rhymes. I guess Little Red Riding Hood is about a gal who is also a bit promiscuous (like your old lady in the shoe) and the wolf is really a 'wild' man who likes those kinds of ladies. Or something like that. Anyway the point was that most of them are crazy like that.
Also I know that ashes ashes we all fall down is about the Bubonic Plague. So weird.
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