This little piggy . . .

My grand children are in their 20’s but several of my younger friends have been recently blessed with new grand babies  I’m sure they are enjoying the experience and maybe doing a quick review of nursery rhymes to be ready to cuddle and sing.  Pat-a-cake is one of my favorites.   

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man.

Bake me a cake as fast as you can.

Roll it, and pat it, and mark it with a “B”

Put it in the oven for baby and me!

Then there are all the tiny toes and the piggies.  I bet babies everywhere have been tickled when the little piggy cries wee wee wee all the way home.

Starting with the big toe ‘

This little piggy went to market, 

This little piggy stayed home, 

This little piggy ate roast beef, 

This little piggy had none,  

This little piggy cried wee wee wee wee all the way home.’  

Then there are lots of tickles and giggles.  

At first this all sounds like fun and games but let’s think about it for a moment.  Going to market sounds like fun, and I  always had a vision of a cute little pig dressed in a hat with her purse over her arm like the Queen trotting down the lane to the market.  But what’s with the piggy that ate roast beef, well I guess at least she isn’t eating pork chops! I thought all the animals on the farm were a happy band, and they ate together not ate each other!!! 

While you are worrying about the pig eating his neighbor Bossy, the cow, think about that first piggy.  Do you really think she was going to the market for apples, and carrots? NO she was going to the market to never return, after all she was the biggest piggy.  OOOOH, NOOOO say it isn’t so, we’ve been laughing about this pig going to be marketed.  The littlest piggy was squealing because she knew her turn was coming. 

I hate this nursery rhyme.  

One of the oldest nursery rhymes is Rock a bye Baby, how may times have you sung –

Rock-a-bye-baby on the tree top, 

When the wind blows the cradle will rock.  

When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall.

 Down will come baby cradle and all.  

Well, that’s a cheerful little ditty.  

How ‘bout Georgie Porgie who kissed the girls and made them cry.  Now there is a guy heading for rehab! 

Goodey Goosey Gander is waaaay over the top – 

Goosey goosey gander,

Whither shall I wander? 

Upstairs and downstairs, 

And in my lady’s chamber.

There I met an old man who wouldn’t say his prayers, 

So I took him by his left leg and threw him down the stairs.  

This has all the makings of a documentary on elder abuse or a hint of religious persecution.  Threw him down the stairs because he wouldn’t say his prayers, and what was he doing in the lady’s chamber anyway?  Could it be that today’s societal problems stem from these nursery rhythms.

Don’t get me started on  Grimm’s fairy tales.  Apparently they weren’t referred to as the Brothers Grimm, just because of their surname!  Hansel and Gretel going into the scary house in the forest only to meet up with a wicked witch who tries to put them in an oven and have them for dinner.  YIKES that’s the stuff of nightmares.  

Let’s get back to the patty cake thing and leave some of the other nursery rhymes and the fairy tales behind.