Post #1: Reading for Topic Ideas

I chose to read the "Discipline" section (pp. 200-232) in Childhood in America, edited by Paula S. Fass and Mary Ann Mason. I also read the "Children at War" section (pp. 476-484) in The Children's Culture Reader, edited by Henry Jenkins. The two sections approached their particular topics differently. The section on discipline utilized historical, sociological, and legal perspectives. The section on children during war took a strongly psychological approach. One common theme that may be drawn from these two sections is one of childhood responsibility. Regardless of the period of history, children were expected to have some level of accountability for their actions, be they concerning matters of discipline and obedience or war and the war aid effort.

"If Dennis the Menace were around, he'd be shackled hand and foot, with Mr. Wilson chortling as the cops hauled his mischievous butt off to juvenile hall." Annette Fuentes authored that quote in her article "Cracking Down on Kids" found in the compilation Childhood in America. Hers was the last in the series of sources tracing the disciplining of American children from the 17th century to present day. At first, corporal punishment was used on a regular basis for the purpose of subduing children and breaking their will. For children under the age of 16, this sort of discipline was more of a corrective measure handled by the family, in the confines of the home. There was a general belief that children not yet 16 years old were to be taught responsibility but not to be held ultimately responsible for their actions until they were older. Starting sometime in the 18th century, corporal punishment began to lose favor among parents, and gentler discipline was promoted by John Locke and others. To the present day, the gentler variety of discipline is preferred within the home, but in a striking dichotomy, legal discipline or punishment has sought to place greater responsibility on increasingly younger children. Fuentes mentioned the prosecution of children as adults (even at the age of seven for certain felonies in New York) and "no tolerance" school policies as evidence of this trend.

Much of the source material in the "Children at War" section exhorts children during World War II to accept various responsibilities and to do what they can to help win the war. Angelo Patri, a progressive educator, told them that they had been enlisted as citizen soldiers and that they too must work to secure their freedom. Clearly there was a belief among adults that children could make a positive, meaningful impact. This sentiment appears to have been reversed today. Fuentes cited a study from 1997 which found that "58 percent of those surveyed think children and teens will make the world a worse place or no different when they grow up." That's disconcerting if one is concerned about the future and holds the belief that children will live up or down to the expectations of their elders.

I generally found all these readings interesting but was most absorbed by Fuentes' "Cracking Down on Kids." I was struck by the negativity of the modern attitude toward children. As far as a potential paper topic is concerned, I would like to do some more reading, but the legal trend of trying children as adults might be one possibility.

My comment on Lori's post can be found here.