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!