Education

Childhood in American Society by Karen Sternheimer

Childhood history is a factor to consider in modern society, and it has captured the attention of individuals in different parts of the world. Contemporary society is the leading creator of childhood as a concept, and the trend has received tremendous changes in different parts of the world. In the 17th century, most people regarded children as mini-adults, and this was not the case at the moment. Such ideologies originate from Aries, which offers a significant body of knowledge as well. According to other scholars, there is the contribution of the medieval as well as the early trends on child rearing and how they become insignificant in contemporary society. In the previous centuries, there was a greater extent of poverty as well as high in fact mortality due to the lack of the best infrastructure to offer medication. In that instance, the existence of child-rearing simply meant a high level of inappropriate behavior.

During the 18th century, parents had to offer a greater extent on sickness-related matters. There was a high level of grief during death. Parents had a stronger attachment to their children since the rearing stage made them closer. That is never the case in modern society, in which the adoption rate is high (Lamb, 2000). Moreover, the aspect of industrialization made parents engaged and looking for other individuals to take care of their children on most occasions. The approach dramatically limits interaction, making the ties less efficient. Have you thought of the relationship between parents and their children in a few years to come? Ideally, the role of children will be more of participants. The existence of a broader network platform makes communication simple, and that will have a social impact on the interaction between parents and their children. Adults previously acted as storytellers and ensured their children had the best environment in which to learn (Holloway & Valentine, 2005). That currently takes a different paradigm in which children have to source information online. One of the uphill tasks that come in the process relates to cyberbullying, which presents a negative impact on the lives of children in most instances.

A deeper understanding of the early modern periods is such a significant move that needs to be explored to a more profound extent. The ear of Elizabethan stands out in most publications. The family played a crucial role in promoting the transmissions related to family norms (Lamb, 2000). In a family setting, children had to learn basic etiquette. That is currently not the case in contemporary society since children are left for the community. Ideally, that stands as the main cause of unethical practices such as violence and immorality. Individuals are tasked to learn from their peers, which makes it an uphill task to control behavior. The shift in matters related to childhood began in the 1600s. In that instance, adults perceive children as separate entities. These children emerged as innocent, and there was a need for training as well as protection to get the best out of these children. John Locke later brought up the aspect of tabula rasa, which signified children as a blank slate. As a result, it was imperative for adults to create a positive impact on the lives of such children.

In conclusion, the period of capitalism brought aspects of commercialism in which individuals had to look for a source of living due to diversity as well as globalization. The element also brought the element of survival of the fittest in which parents had to struggle for limited resources. The growth in population made it hard to meet needs, and parents decided to enable their children to take part in the production process. Sustenance remained the order of the day, and it was never easy for the parents to offer the necessary care to their children.

References

Holloway, S. L., & Valentine, G. (2005). Children’s geographies and the new social studies of childhood. Childhood: Critical concepts in sociology, 163-188.

Lamb, M. E. (2000). The history of research on father involvement: An overview. Marriage & Family Review29(2-3), 23-42.

Cite This Work

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below:

SEARCH

WHY US?

Calculate Your Order




Standard price

$310

SAVE ON YOUR FIRST ORDER!

$263.5

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Pop-up Message