You be the judge

Just this last week we have started to attempt a bedtime ritual in hopes it will help her learn that at night, you sleep. This consists of a bath, lotion, diaper change, jammies, reading books, bottle, and then songs. She doesn't always sit still for the books, but I still think she likes it. I bring this up because we have a nursery rhyme book and I'm realizing just how awful so many of them are. So you be the judge, should we really be reading these to children? On the pro side: Kids seem to like the rhythmic pattern and kids have been read them for years (including myself) with no apparent damage being done. On the con side, the words speak for themselves:

1. There was an old woman says "She gave them some broth without any bread, then whipped them all soundly and put them to bed."

2. Goosey Goosey Gander says "There I met an old man who would not say his prayers so I took him by the left leg and threw him down the stairs."

3. Old Mother Hubbard says "She went to the baker to buy him some bread, but when she came back the dog was dead. She went to the undertaker to buy him a coffin, but when she got back the dog was laughin. She took a clean dish to get him some tripe, but when she came back he was smoking a pipe."

4. And then there is the classic rock a bye baby which I never quite got, seems like it would scare a child half to death, the thought of falling out of a tree.

Ok, this post was mostly for comedic relief to show how truly ridiculous some of these are. I am not some crazy mother that is going to ban nursery rhymes. After all, they make Hannah happy. And speaking of happy here is another smile picture: