"Rock a bye baby - in the tree top..."
A soothing childhood lullaby,
right? You probably had it sung to you when you were an infant.
(But
what's a cradle doing in a tree top? Is that safe?)
"When the wind blows - the cradle will rock..."
Heck, you probably sang it to
your siblings, dolls, or your own children.
(A
rocking cradle, nice soothing image.)
"When the bough breaks - the cradle will fall..."
But did you ever listen to the
words?
(When the bough breaks!? Hey, wait
a minute! This is getting serious!)
"And down will come baby - cradle and all!"
What exactly is it we are supposed
to be teaching our children with this little gem of a song? Doesn't it seem
a bit strange to plant such images subconsciously?
(And
they wonder why kids have nightmares...)