Idle thoughts:
So, I think there's this concept that childhood used to be more unstructured. A lot of modern ideas seem to be about duplicating an imagined old environment of discovery, curiosity, etc.
So, I think there's this concept that childhood used to be more unstructured. A lot of modern ideas seem to be about duplicating an imagined old environment of discovery, curiosity, etc.
As a very boring man, I enjoy 19th century memoirs and novels. One thing you notice is that it's not precisely correct to say things are unstructured. Kids are more free to, e.g. run around outside or get in fights, etc. But, two big things are different:
1) Work starts much much earlier, and is often quite a heavy load. If it's ag or shopwork, it's actually extremely regimented.
2) Even when you're a young boy, allowed to run around and play, enforcement is extremely harsh. No helicopter parenting, but the threat of a whipping.
2) Even when you're a young boy, allowed to run around and play, enforcement is extremely harsh. No helicopter parenting, but the threat of a whipping.
I'm reading a bit about Old Order Anabaptists lately, and I think (2) is especially important to think about. You don't *need* helicopter parenting if the kid is constantly entertaining thoughts of Hell, and/or the leather strap.
So, what to an outside observer may appear a life of freedom and exploration is in fact highly constrained. I suspect you'd find the same thing in most societies where survival is hard. The idea of kids themselves discovering morals/socialization is, I suspect, thoroughly modern.
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