Just as Bad. . .

I received a funny email from my mother-in-law and thought it was worth sharing. Her words:

"I've been thinking about the Portuguese songs that Emma sings, and then I thought about the English nursery rhymes. . . . . Let's see, there's a baby that falls out of a treetop, Peter, who keeps his unfaithful wife locked up, and the old woman who abuses her many children. Maybe hitting a cat with a stick isn't so bad after all."

I agree. Hitting a cat with a stick isn't such a bad idea. Either way, how did the writers of these songs (Portuguese and English) convince parents to teach them to their children??