pecunium: (Default)
[personal profile] pecunium
I have been catching up on Making Light, but y'all knew that.

For those who don't read them, I offer Jim McDonald's Patented Folksong Method of Childrearing

A bit from the front:

Folksongs Are Your Friends
Posted by Jim Macdonald at 12:50 PM * 249 comments

I have four children, two daughters and two sons. Naturally, I worry about their moral upbringing. As everyone knows who’s paying attention, “Just say no” doesn’t work. Instead, I made sure they were constantly exposed to the traditional folksongs and legends of Great Britain. Nothing’s more certain to give you a strong sense of the negative consequences of immoral or imprudent behavior.

Things I’ve learned from British folk ballads


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don’t ignore warnings. If someone tells you to beware of Long Lankin, friggin’ beware of him. If someone tells you not to go by Carterhaugh, stay away. Same goes for your mother asking you not to go out hunting on a particular day. Portents about weather, particularly when delivered by an old sailor who is not currently chatting up a country maid, are always worth heeding.

If someone says that he’s planning to kill you, believe him.

If someone says he’s going to die, believe him.

Avoid navigable waterways. Don’t let yourself be talked into going down by the wild rippling water, the wan water, the salt sea shore, the strand, the lowlands low, the Burning Thames, and any area where the grass grows green on the banks of some pool. Cliffs overlooking navigable waterways aren’t safe either.

Broom, as in the plant, should be given a wide berth.

Stay away from the greenwood side, too.

Avoid situations where the obvious rhyme-word is “maidenhead.”

If you look at the calendar and discover it’s May, stay home.


Read, and pay attention, there is a quiz at the end.

Date: 2005-09-08 07:58 pm (UTC)
geekchick: (sotw)
From: [personal profile] geekchick
I saw that, and had to send it on to several of my friends after I stopped laughing.

Having more than one True Love at a time is a non-starter.

Pfft. =)

Date: 2005-09-08 08:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pecunium.livejournal.com
Context dear...

TK

Date: 2005-09-08 08:17 pm (UTC)
geekchick: (corpse bride)
From: [personal profile] geekchick
Yeah, I know.

My personal favorite is: "If you look at the calendar and discover it’s May, stay home."

Date: 2005-09-08 08:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] patgreene.livejournal.com
I like:
You are justified in cherishing the direst suspicions of a suddenly and unexpectedly returned significant other who mentions a long journey, a far shore, or a narrow bed, or who’s oddly skittish about the imminent arrival of cockcrow.

and

If your name is Janet, change it.

Date: 2005-09-08 08:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pecunium.livejournal.com
I happen to like answer D to the pop-quiz, though I think I'll teach my kids to take Option B.

TK

Date: 2005-09-08 09:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] knightchik.livejournal.com
Awesome. This made me hoot.

Date: 2005-09-08 10:13 pm (UTC)
geekchick: (sotw)
From: [personal profile] geekchick
Have you heard the All Purpose Folk Song by The Flash Girls?

Date: 2005-09-08 10:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pecunium.livejournal.com
No, I hadn't.

It's precious.

TK

Date: 2005-09-09 05:03 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ourika.livejournal.com
That's really funny. I'm about to go searching out The Flash Girls so I can get a copy of that song and listen to it.

Thanks :-)

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