Summing Up: the Past, Present and Future of Childhood. History 1080. March 31, 2006.

1. Thinking historically about children in the news

A. Course Themes

i. Changing ideals of childhood

- childhood innocence

- shift from ‘economically useful’ to ‘emotionally priceless’ ideal child

ii. Diversity of Children’s Experiences

iii. Continuity and change

iv. Victimization vs. agency

2. Children and childhood since the 1970s

1. Discourse of crisis: children today are worse off than their parents

2. Waves of moral panics re: bullying, sexual predators, etc.

i. Missing Children’s Registry, 1986

ii. Problems of ‘Childhood in crisis’ discourse

- obscures diversity & makes it difficult to address problems like poverty

- nostalgic for an imagined past

3. Continuities & changes in youth behaviour

i. Drinking rates = the same as the 1950s

ii. Adolescent smoking has declined

iii. Sexual activity: continuity & change

4. Thinking about childhood: disappearing or changing?

i. The disappearance of childhood (Neil Postman)

ii. Shift from protected childhood to prepared childhood ideal (Steven Mintz)

- Children thought to need skills & discipline to be ready for work

- Children thought to need street-proofing and safety gear.

- An innocent child = vulnerable.

iii. Children in consumer society

- Child consumers = both economically useful and emotionally priceless

- Debating continuity & change, victimization & agency:

How does advertising/consumption currently shape childhood and families?