Piggy Toes and Family Traditions

Almost everyone knows the classic nursery rhyme for toes that goes like this...

This little piggy went to the market.

This little piggy stayed home.

This little piggy had roast beef.

This little piggy had none.

And this little piggy cried wee, wee, wee all the way home!

But, did you know that there are more rhymes than just that one for toes? When my cousins were little, I used to hear their dad recite this one over and over to them...

(Start with the pinky toe.)

Pick a pea.

Penny Roo.

Roo Whistle.

May Rossel.

And Great Tom Bumble!

Apparently, his mother used to say it to him when he was little. So, it's an old one. I have a family friend who told me one her mother would say to her when she was young. Her toes rhyme goes like this...

Old sow.

Piggy wow.

Danny diss.

Piggy wiss.

And poor little Piper!

This got me thinking about how many silly family traditions, like these rhymes, must be lost over time. So, I decided to write about them in my blog. I not only want to preserve a little piece of both of these families' traditions, but also encourage others to do the same. So think. Think hard if you have to. Is there anything your mom sang to you when you were young that you may have forgotten about until now? Is there a story your grandfather told you that you never wrote down? Or a funny saying your dad would always repeat? I bet there is.