Teaching our children politically-incorrect nursery rhymes

J'ai du bon tabac dans ma tabatière,

[I have good tobacco in my snuff box,]
J'ai du bon tabac, tu n'en auras pas.

[I have good tobacco and you will get none.]
J'en ai du fin et du bien râpé,

[I have some fine, and some well-shredded,]
Mais ce n'est pas pour ton vilain nez !

[But they are not for your ugly nose.]
J'ai du bon tabac dans ma tabatière,

[I have good tobacco in my snuff box,]
J'ai du bon tabac, tu n'en auras pas.

[I have good tobacco and you will get none.]

This is how the chorus of a popular French nursery rhyme goes. This song is on a recent CD we borrowed from the library. I knew this song from my childhood and still remembered the lyrics. However, I found myself a little shocked and unable to sing it to my daughter. She is 3! She doesn't even really know what a cigarette is, let alone tobacco and snuff boxes. I let her listen to it, but felt I couldn't really teach it to her. So, we moved on to the next one!

Admittedly, this song dates back from the 17th century and customs or habits that appeared natural and part of daily life then, are not really appropriate any more today. Children did not have the relatively more protected childhood our children have today. It got me thinking about the nursery rhymes we teach our children.

How about this old French rhyme? La Mère Michel.  It is from the 1820s and I remember learning it at school for a show. I find it quite funny. But some may find it a little cruel.

As a multicultural family, it is important to both myself and my husband to pass on some of the songs we learnt as children. When I was pregnant, I would stick headphones on my belly and play some children's songs to her. We hope this will form part of her cultural heritage too. I have come to realise, though, that some of these songs, still used today, can be a little inappropriate.

Here is another example that I learnt in my childhood and also sing to my daughter regularly!

Alouette

Alouette, gentille alouette, [Lark, nice lark,]
Alouette, je te plumerai. [Lark, I will pluck you.]
Je te plumerai la tête. Je te plumerai la tête. [I will pluck your head. I will pluck your head.]
Et la tête! Et la tête! [And your head! And your head!]
Alouette! Alouette! [Lark! Lark!]
A-a-a-ah [O-o-o-o]

My husband also sings this one:

Atirei o pau ao gato

Atirei o pau ao gato tô tô [I threw a stick to a cat]
Mas o gato tô tô [but the cat]
Não morreu reu reu [did not die]
Dona Chica cá [Ms Chica]
Admirou-se se [was astonished]
Com o berro, com o berro que o gato deu [with the scream the cat made]
Miau !!!!!! [meow]

Or what about the original version of this popular rhyme:

Eennie Meenie Miney Moe 
Catch a tiger by the toe

Do you know what used to be instead of tiger? I will let you find out on the Wikipedia page, I am not going to type the word! You may prefer the French version which is inoffensive and means nothing (none of the words are real).

Am, stram, gram,  
Pic et pic et colégram,  
Bour et bour et ratatam,  
Am, stram, gram.

Stories of death, killing, bullying or racism are very common in old nursery rhymes.
Is it a bad thing? I am not sure. It is part of our culture. I learnt these songs and I am not a bad person (I think). These nursery rhymes were meant to educate children by scaring them a little. I don't mean to scare my girl. But you cannot wrap children in cotton wool forever. I wouldn't got as far as teaching the tobacco song to a group of 7-year-olds to be performed at a show (as a fellow mum explained). I don't think my 3-year old understands the message behind these songs yet anyway.

What can you do about it (if anything)? You could change the lyrics to suit your needs/feelings.The Portuguese song mentioned above actually has a more politically correct version now (taught in schools) which does not involve killing cats! You could, when the child is older, explain what it means and why it is this way. You could also create new lovely nursery rhymes to reflect the modern times. We hear few around and it is a shame or maybe we hear them, but will only realise they have become classics in a couple of generations.