5.24.2008

pussy cat, pussy cat


Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?
I've been up to London to visit the Queen.
Pussycat, pussycat, what did you dare?
I frightened a little mouse under her chair.

MEOW!

The origins of the nursery rhyme:
The origins of this rhyme goes back to the history of 16th century Tudor England. One of the staff of Queen Elizabeth had an old cat which tended to roam throughout one of her castles. On one occasion the cat went underneath the throne and the cat's tail brushed against the Queen's foot, startling her. But 'Good Queen Bess' had a sense of humour and declared that the cat may wander through the throne room on condition it kept it free of mice!

Why is this poem still around? Seriously!?? Why does my little boy and his friends think it is fun to say the first half of the phrase: pussy? Of course when they say it, they are meaning cat. I wish they had a better word to throw around... why this word? My friend's philosophy is that they just like the way the word sounds and thus like to say it. Her son saw a Tom & Jerry episode that they rented from the library in which one of the characters called another, "Pussy Cat!" So her son started saying the abbreviated version. Now the word has rubbed off on Ty. Another friend from their little gang started screaming it while they were out playing on the neighborhood street, also just saying it in innocence. His mom finally had to explain to him that he can say pussy cat, but not pussy. These are 4 year olds my friends. I hate that I have to explain this to Ty, first because Ty will want to know why he can't say it and what it means . . . not going there yet, second because it and he are so innocent, and if we were living 60 years back in the day it probably wouldn't be an issue. But I can't have him saying the word in front of other people, right? On some level this is funny, just hard to really say which level that is?

It's a good thing half of Beckham's vocabulary is in Spanish. He's sticking with gato.

4 comments:

Brad and Marci said...

Ha, ha that is too funny and unfortunately an issue in this day. I have some advice, you could be like me and not read rhymes to him and it won't be an issue on the other hand I should be more like you and read rhymes to him so scratch my advice. I think we need to have an open sense of just overlooking the things kids do and say for the sake of their parents. You know the phrase "kids say the darndest thing" let's make that an unspoken moto because most of the time I am stressed out on how to explain some of Cole's questions.

My Many Coloured Days said...

My Mom still says pussycat, and I've had to explain it to her! Also, when she was visiting last she we were having hot dogs and she told the boys they were so patient waiting to get their weiners - we all burst out laughing, the boys too! But she grew up in a gay time, and unfornately its not like that anymore. I just don't have my boys say those words. I don't know. It's a tough call - we've talked about this :)

ads said...

You know, Dad uses that word for anyone not willing to fish in the snow, But I told him to stop saying that. What do you do with these boys !

Sus said...

hey, are your kids bilingual? cool. i was a spanish major. please don't let ty teach anna pussy - she'll think it's HILARIOUS. (and it is sort-of an etymologically funny word, after all)

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