N is for Naughty or Nice?
Christmas is five months away, but you know Santa is gonna ask you this question and he always checks his list to see who’s been naughty or nice. Which list will he find you on?
Thinking about naughty or nice, I remembered the old Mother Goose nursery rhyme we would chant as children. Do you?
“Snakes Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails
That’s what little boys are made of !”
What are little girls made of?
“Sugar and spice and all things nice
That’s what little girls are made of!”
This early 19th-century nursery rhyme is familiar by all generations. I know growing up we always had it figured out boys were naughty and obviously girls were nice with this little poem.
The rhyme apparently was written as Snips and snails. One interpretation of snips is ‘little bits of’, where another says it means small eel. I guess somewhere along the line the word “eel” changed to snake since this is the version we grew up saying.
A common stereotype is boys are generally more mischievous or meaner than girls, and if you had asked any kid, boy or girl, on my school ground, then they would have agreed snakes and snails, and puppy dog tails meant a boy was naughty. Is there any truth behind the stereotyping?
Interestingly, this cute somewhat bias nursery rhyme has been the inspiration in our modern-day culture. Here are some fun facts.
Wikipedia says this poem is a based on Powerpuff Girls, a late 90s TV animation series. Its three main characters are made from sugar, spice, and everything nice where the Rowdryruff Boys who come into the series latter are made from snips, snails, and puppy dog tails. It’s clear to see what the writer intended with the characters with these images, huh?
Wanna be a superhero? You can play online games with your favorite cartoon characters, here!
The 1960s group, The Searchers, song title and lyrics fit the sweetness of a little girl.
Sugar and spice and all things nice
Kisses sweeter than wine
Sugar and spice and all things nice
You know that little girl is mine
I’m not a big fan of David Bowie but interestingly in Magic Dance, Bowie put a little twist to the words in this rhyme and included it in this song.
What kind of magic spell to use
Slime and snails
Or puppy dogs’ tails
Thunder or lightning
Then baby said
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Put that baby spell on me
Jump magic, jump (jump magic, jump)
Jump magic, jump (jump magic, jump)
Put that magic jump on me
Slap that baby, make him free
The popular Mother Goose rhyme divides the sexes, but are boys naughtier(meaner) than girls? Personally speaking, it’s a trait found in both boys and girls. The biggest difference between boys and girls is how they display their meanness.
Research done in the early 90s indicated the behavior of eleven and twelve-year-old girls are just as aggressive as boys. However, instead of using their fists, girls lash out with ugly words and body language. Are Girls Meaner than Boys?
May West was famous for one-liners, which was sure to make you smile by eluding bad wasn’t really bad at all.
“I generally avoid temptation unless I can’t resist it.”
“When I’m good I’m very good, but when I’m bad I’m better.”
“Why don’t you come on up and see me sometime.. when I’ve got nothin’ on but the radio.”
“N” is for naughty and nice, but the way I see it you can be both for the Santa in your life. Thanks for hosting, Miss Jenny! Be sure to click below to link up on the classroom fun.
This week’s two questions will tie in with my letter ‘N’ assignment for this week.
1) Would you rather be naughty or nice in the bedroom? I like a balanced mixture of naughty and nice in the bedroom. A little spice to your love life makes things interesting.
2) Would you rather be naughty or nice outside the bedroom? You know, I’ve always wanted to be naughty, as in being the bad girl. We see how much fun bad girls have in movies. She’s corrupt! She’s wicked! She’s everything! The truth of the matter is…I’m too darn nice to be naughty as in ‘bad’. There really isn’t a naughty bone in my body. I guess that’s a good thing, though cause I like being nice, like “Sugar and spice, and everything nice!”
Thanks Amanda for hosting! If you would like to participate in Thursday’s Two Questions, then click on the button on the right.
Have a temptatious-delicious day!
18 Comments
Splendid Little Stars
How fun to see the “purebred” early 60s band! ties & suits, oh my! not naughty at all!
madeline
That’s so cute. I’d probably fall under naughty.. 🙂
Jenny Matlock
What a nifty little N post.
I think I like being a mix…being either all the time would be boring!
Thanks for the smile!
A+
XmasDolly
Well, if that’s not the cutest most interesting Post I’ve read in a while and love your pics you posted with it. Guess I’m Nice when I wanna be, and I can be Naughty when I wanna be too! ~snicker-snicker~
Lulu
Who knew there was so much to know about naughty or nice and I would never have thought about delving into the subject as you did. Hope you find a little haughtiness in your life!
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Squirrelqueen
I’ve always remembered it as “snips and snails”.
!. Naughty definitely.
2. A combination of the two. I think of naughty as playful, a little on the bad side with no harm meant to anyone. Maybe sugar and spice with a twist of lemon.
Anne
I think I’m nice. I’m probably too nice to ever be naughty… in our out of ANY room 🙂
Jamericanspice
I am nice in the boudoir. I’m not made to be naughty or just haven’t yet found that button that makes me want to. However in my fantasies……*chuckle*
2. I’m nice again and wants to be bad. I’m sometimes too darn nice!
But now I’m older and I’m getting bolder and not so nice! 😀
Love your post.
Aloha!
c.c.
oh, i don’t know. my nephew was a whole lot nicer than my niece today. she told me, repeatedly, to get my hands off her, leave her alone and go away. and all i was trying to do was get her into her jammies after her bath.
as for me. i’d go for naughty on both counts. mostly because i’m generally too considered too nice by those who know me, so those moments when i don’t have to be, those are kind of, well, nice.
selfsagacity
I am “neither”, that’s an N too 🙂 But I rather be nice since we all could use more nice play. At the same time, it doesn’t have to be boring.
I just want to be “neutral”, another N! I don’t like naughty people really. If’s it’s a harmless naughty for fun, then I am all for it, and that is what I would strive for. Thanks for linking up and making me think N today. Smiles.
Storybeader
love that luscious pic of Mae Mest! {:-Deb
Poetic Shutterbug
Love these questions and great post.
1. Absolutely naughty in the bedroom.
2. Nice outside though I’ve always wanted to be one of those wicked types even just for a day 😀
Ames
I’d rather be both in the bedroom. It keeps things interesting. Then I think I’d rather be nice outside the bedroom. I don’t like dealing with unkind people. That gets pretty annoying. Oh and we always called it Snakes and Snails! ~Ames
Keri Houchin
Hm. We always said “snips and snails” but I never knew what a snip was! Thanks for the info. I always know I’m going to learn something when I visit your blog.
Jen
At least when boys are mean…they can duke it out and get over over it. With girls, the meanness can go on for a really long time. Such a shame!
Saffron Road
Wow, what an information-filled blog posting! Thank you for sharing your “N” ideas.
mom2kiddos
Interesting facts. I guess men tend to be physical when they’re mean whereas women just gets very b*tchy.