When I became an adult, I was shocked to realize how non-kid-friendly the nursery rhymes I had loved as a child actually were. I know many of them have deeper meanings — more on that in a future post — but why on earth would people read these poems about violence and death to children? I still can’t answer that, but surprisingly, when the world gets turned upside down by a pandemic, nursery rhymes seem like they just might contain a lesson after all.
Be prepared
Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to get her poor dog a bone. When she got there the cupboard was bare, and so the poor dog had none. She went to the baker’s to buy him some bread, but when she came back the poor dog was dead.
Definitely not suitable reading material for preschoolers right? But there’s a lesson in there for us, and apparently it applies not just to pet food, but also to toilet paper, cleaning supplies, chicken, and ice cream. So please, make a list, put on your mask, stock up on two-weeks’ worth of necessities, and then remain at home. Which brings me to the second lesson…
Shelter in place
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.
Apparently Mrs. Peter had no choice in the matter. And right now, neither do we. Many of us feel like we’re living squashed (get it?) in a pumpkin shell with our nearest and dearest right now. The question is did Mrs. Peter’s pumpkin have WiFi? Could she work at home while also schooling her children, ordering groceries, and streaming enriching educational content?
Maintain social distance
Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie, kissed the girls and made them cry. When the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away.
Why did people read things like this to us when we were mere babies? I don’t know, but please stay at least six feet away from Georgie Porgie and everyone else. There’s never been a worse time to be kissed by strange men.
Cover your sneezes
Rock a bye baby on the tree top, when the wind blows the cradle will rock. When the bow breaks the cradle will fall. Down will come baby, cradle and all.
You always wondered why this terrifying little ditty was in a children’s book, didn’t you? Imagine that your sneeze is the wind propelling tiny virus particles through the air and knocking the cozy little baby right out of the tree. You don’t want to be responsible for that. Please cough or sneeze into your elbow.
Obey curfews
Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town, upstairs and downstairs in his nightgown, rapping at the window, crying through the lock, “Are the children in their beds? Now it’s eight o’clock."
Some argue that curfews are over-restrictive since people are just as contagious in the morning as they are in the evening. Obviously they don’t remember this uh, gentleman from their childhood. If your mayor or governor says you have to stay in at night, it’s for your own good. You don’t want to run into this guy. He clearly doesn't know the meaning of social distance..
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress