To believe “wind the bobbin up” is inappropriate and to ask my child’s Nursery not to sing it.

[coconuttella]

Wind the bobbin up originated in the cotton mill towns of the north of England in Victorian times. As anyone who knows a bit about a bit history can tell you, the cotton mills were horrendous places which horrifically exploited women and children, forcing them to do dangerous work in appalling conditions for little pay.

How can it be right to trivialise these horrors by getting children to sing a light-hearted ditty about it... It’s offensive to the memory of all those who suffered these horrendous conditions and experienced serious injury or even death as a result of hideously exploitative working practices.

[caperberries]

I think op is trying to make a point about objections to other things on the basis of racism... I may be wrong

[Enidthecat]

I presume op doesn't read fairy tales to her kids either. Aren't they.. ahem.... fairly grimm

[000bourneFarm]

OMG - pied piper of Hamlym

[NannyR]

Ring a roses is about the black death, is that one appropriate?

[capercaillie]

I think you're going to have many challenges as your child grows up...
Presumably you only dress them in fair trade organic cotton...

[shakeyourcaboose]

And what about that Mary... Hope she had her lamb registered with DEFRA....!

[LizzieSiddal]

Actually you are being ridiculous and my great Grandma worked in a cotton mill.

It was also my DD’s favourite nursery rhyme.
But she pronounced it “Wind the Bobbie up” maybe you prefer her version OP?😂

[acornsandnuts]

Here you go www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150610-the-dark-side-of-nursery-rhymes

All of the buggers.

[Mulberry72]

So by your logic, Old McDonald is ageist then?

[000bourneFarm]

OMG - the owl and the pussycat

[Farmerswife36]

Omg who bloody cares ! A child is not going to know what happened or care ! Ffs it's a rhyme

[Eve]

[[https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6180428[[

[LemonadePockets]

🤦🏻‍♀️

Please request they don’t sing it & then let us know how that goes..

[LipstickHandbagCoffee]

I wholeheartedly agree, get it going on Twitter, get a flash mob.
Get those bobbin winding singing Bastards told
I salute you op taking a stand against nursery rhyme singing class denouncers

[Dixiestampsagain]

They would have been a bit too busy, I would have presumed, to be pointing to the ceiling, floor, window and door. Dearly me, this so can’t be real, right?!

[Mookatron]

My mum reckons Goosey Goosey Gander is about erectile dysfunction.

[Farmerswife36]

What clothes does your dc wear ??? Presumably all clothes are fair trade cotton

[Katescurios]

• Ring around the rosy is about the plague
  
• See saw Marjory saw,johnny has got a new master...
  
• there was an old lady who swallowed a fly - now we'll sing a variety of verses hypothesising her death
  

Loads of nursery rhymes have dark origins, they also teach children rhyme and rhythm, are fun, often have a moral story or message, support memory and social interaction.

Why not think about how you could use the ryhme to teach your child about social history later in life, or just get over it and let them have fun.

[JeansAndANiceTop]

Meh. It makes my son smile. Especially when we sing it fast.
Rock a bye baby is worse.

[SaucyJack]

Oh.

I thought you were gonna say it was a euphemism for wanking.

[ilovesooty]

FFS. Go in and raise it with them. It might brighten their day.

[AethelflaedofMercia]

Many women preferred factory work to domestic service or agricultural work. It was reasonably well paid and gave them greater independence. At times women factory workers could be the main or only earnerrs in the household, when the men's trades were going through a downturn.

[BlossomRussoAndSixLemeure]

I find the ‘point to the floor’ part offensive as we only have a cheap lino floor and I feel that this rhyme draws attention to it and make me feel inferior to others with parquet flooring.

[SimultaneousEquation]

Omg I have this as an ear worm and my children are way past nursery rhyme age.

No, OP, we shouldn’t pretend that chunks of our history and culture didn’t exist because they make you feel uncomfortable. It was grim in the mills and the kids worked there. This is a nursery rhyme not a hymn of praise in favour of child labour.

[Taylor22]

FFS are you in the same group of special snowflake that wants friends and Only Fools And Horses banned?