No rhyme or reason

The article “Book Review” (BDN, Sept. 20) caught my attention. Hearing that some parents were upset about the book of old-time playground rhymesgot me thinking.

It’s just a way for children to learn, right? It’s all meant to be a joke? After reading the rhymes in question, I had second thoughts. These parents are right! These children shouldn’t be learning by hearing rhymes that they’re going to question.

Example: If kids hear, “She cannot read, read, read/ She cannot write, write, write/ But she can smoke, smoke, smoke/ Her daddy’s pipe, pipe, pipe,” they are going to ask a lot of questions. Learning about smokingis wrong for that age.

For the parents who believe it’s OK for their child to read these rhymes, think and ask yourselves: Is this good for my child’s education? Will this affect him or her in later years?

Do you think that having your child read words like underpants and pipe isn’t going to get them thinking about what they mean? Just because it may be appropriate for adults to read doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for a child. When a child at such a young age hears words that other people laugh at, they are just going to want to repeat them and giggle.

Would you want to go out in public one day and have your child yelling out underpants, pipe, stinky or smoke? Others around you may be appalled that the child has been exposed to such language at a very young age.

To all the parents, grandparents and relatives with little ones who have read this book and disagree with the language used, then let’s do something now.

Jessica L. Bruce

Madison