Images of childhood

Within any one culture, people’s ideas of what childhood is and what a child is may vary according to their occupation, gender, ethnicity, and, of course, their own experiences and inclinations. This section begins by asking you to think about your own and other people’s ideas about children and childhood.

What is a c hild?

This activity will stimulate your thoughts about different ways of understanding children, as a starting 45 minutes point for introducing the concept of child development.

1 When you think of children, what ideas come to mind? Initially, concentrate on visual images of children – how they look, what they are doing and the feelings they evoke in you. Make a note of three contrasting images of children that occur to you, either from personal experiences or images in the media.

2 Now explore some ways in which childhood has changed. For example, think about what it was like for your parents or carers when they were young. Were their experiences of childhood different from the experiences of children today? Next, think about your own memories and then think about children growing up today.

Some areas of change might relate to home, school or starting work, clothing, games and pastimes, deference to authority, or differences between boys and girls.

3 Finally, think about your personal beliefs about children, and about how they should be treated at different ages. For example, in relation to care, the importance of play and learning, how much freedom they should be allowed or the role of discipline. You may find these proverbs a useful starting point:

‘Children are the wealth of the nation’ (proverb – Tanzania)

‘Children are innocent like angels; they can’t do any harm’ (proverb – Pakistan)

‘A tree should be bent while it is still young’ (proverb – South Africa)

‘The egg should not be smarter than the duck’ (proverb – Vietnam)

‘It is the young trees that make the forest thick’ (proverb – Uganda)

Comment

While carrying out this activity, you may have found that you have very definite ideas about children and childhood. You may also have become aware of the sources of these views; for example, memories of your own childhood, experiences with your own children or with the children of others, your parents’ or grandparents’ views, the views of your community, information in books and other media or religious belief. If you were able to talk to someone else for this activity you may have found a wide range of views and you may also be aware of the way these ideas have changed over time. For example, during the early decades of the twentieth century, parents were urged to feed their new babies according to a strict timetable and not to pick them up when they cried, which may seem unthinkable to new parents nowadays.

If people think about children differently, are behaving differently with children, and consider children themselves are behaving differently, does this mean children are fundamentally different or is it more that people’s ideas about childhood have changed?