Clothing de-emphasized the physical differences between boys and girls, delaying recognition of sexuality and safeguarding their innocence. Work For most children, however, this state of happy ignorance could not be prolonged indefinitely. Work was as much a part of a child's early life as play. Whether working on a farm or in a factory, children soon confronted the realities of the world. Because some children spent long periods of time away from home and from parental supervision, Sunday schools and common schools became focal points for moral and spiritual instruction.
Parents define their children's world.
How children are taught, dressed, and raised depends on parental beliefs and traditions. Parents, in turn, learn these values from society. Differing perceptions of childhood over time are largely a social and cultural phenomenon and less a matter of individual choice.