The Nursery Rhyme says what??

I’m sure most of us had our parents read us nursery rhymes when we were younger.  Some of the rhymes we remember and some we forget.  However, having a toddler and a newborn, we get to revisit our beloved nursery rhymes.  Some are truly classics:

I’m a little teapot short and stout,

Here is my handle, here is my spout

When I get all steamed up hear me shout,

Tip me over and pour me out.

The rhyme is simple, fun, playful and realistic.

However, there’s some that just boggle my mind!! This one starts off nice and innocently, but the kicker is the last line…

There was a little girl who had a little curl,

Right in the middle of her forehead,

When she was good, she was very, very good,

But when she was bad, she was horrid.

Mmmmm…. first of all, isn’t it obvious that when kids are bad they’re horrid?  Why would we need a nursery rhyme to remind us of that?  I’m really not sure what this is trying to convey to the child.  There’s no lesson here and it’s not even helpful in explaining to the child what to do to not be horrid.  Generally, I’m just confused after reading this.

Here’s another one that made me jump out of my seat after I read it…

Goosey, goosey, gander

Wither Shall I wander,

Upstairs and downstairs,

And in my lady’s chamber.

There I met an old man,

Who would not say his prayers,

I took him by the left leg,

And threw him down the stairs

So now we’re teaching kids that violence is okay if someone doesn’t say their prayers? We worry about violent video games but can we just take a minute to examine some of the “classic” nursery rhymes?!?! And these are just a few of the many questionable rhymes I’ve read.

I guess some of this might have totally been cool with parents back in the 1800’s.  But I bet you that if any of them were written in the 21st century, these would not go over well with today’s parents. Don’t even get me started on Robert Munch.  Love the guy, love his books, but I feel like he’s telling the kids how to misbehave!  Revisit his stories if you haven’t read them in a while.

What are some of the weirdest nursery rhymes you’ve ever heard of or read?