Stop on a crack......

[lkn2cln]

My 9yr old son recently asked me who came with "Step on a crack and you'll break your momma's back?" I don't know if he was wondering while jumping over a crack or pounding on a crack. Could someone give me some help with a great answer?

[Quizmonster]

As is the case with most superstitions, you are very unlikely to discover an individual who first created the 'step on a crack' one. Since you use the word 'momma', I guess you are American, though the superstition exists in other societies, too. A Google search does, however, suggest an origin in the USA and even the possibility that it had racial overtones. That is, that one's mother would become black rather than break her back! It may be better not to pass that idea on to a 9-year old.

[commoner]

...just an old folk superstition...like breaking a mirror or walking under a ladder is my guess. The origins of most of these things are lost in ancient history........we used to say when walking on a paved pavement/sidewalk......"Tread on a line, marry a swine. Tread on a square , marry a bear".......no win situation as they say these days. <G>