Child Rearing In Victorian Times :: essays research papers fc

Child Rearing in Victorian TimesChildhood barely existed for most British minorren at the end of theeighteenth century, since they began a lifetime of hard labour as soon as theywere capable of simple tasks. By contrast, the fortunate children of the affluent generally were spoiled and enjoyed special provisions for the need of alengthy childhood, yet who in a way whitethorn have endured the same pain in the neck of those whowere non as fortunate.Child rearing in the Victorian times was not at all similar to childrearing today. There were of flux two different categories on how the childwas brought up. They went from one extreme to the other. They were thedifference of the classes. The life of an upper class child during theVictorian era, was as one may put it, stuffy, conventional and routine, not tomention quite lonely at certain times. Yet others argue Victorian childrenshould have been quite content, given the fact that they were treated to onlythe best of toys, clothes and education and it was absurd to even consider thechild being neglected.Mothers and Fathers were seen as special, glamourous guests, due to thefact that they were never around and rarely seen by their children. This wasbecause child and parent led totally separate existences, they were onlysummoned to appear before their parents at a certain behave hour of the day. ManyVictorian children like Winston Churchill and Harriet Marden recall such coldrelations between their selves and their mothers that they would be able tocount how many times in their life they had been hugged. Family life was formal,although during that time child rearing manuals urged bonding and maternal ties,mothers remained cool and distant. Children were a convenience to their parents,they obeyed them as they would an army officer. Sir Osbert Sitwell once argued,Parents were aware that the child would be a nuisance and a whole bevyof servants, in addition to the complex guardianship of nursery and school roomswas necessary not so much to aid the infant as to screen him from his father ormother, except on some occasions as he could be used by them as adjuncts, toysor decorations.Although this only describes a minority of parents it was always in thebest interests for the child not to be heard or in the way, it was rarely takento the extent of screening the child.It was the era of nurses and nannies, the child was not raised by thewoman who gave birth to him, but by the chartered help.