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It was believed that babies were about to become totally evil; that is why they were tied or wrapped in diapers so long and so tightly. Bartholomaeus Anglicus said, "And for tenderness, the child's limbs can easily and soon bend and take various forms. And therefore, the limbs and members of the children are bound with lists [bandages] and other agreed upon ties, so that they are not twisted or abused"
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Until the 15th century, it was common that any mother didn´t breastfeed her child and the one in charge of this "unpleasant and exhausting" activity was the wet nurse, so children were malnourished, the poorer they were, the more malnourished they were, and rich children were the ones who had the capacity to at least have better nutrition and education.
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In the past children were often in danger of being considered changeable if they cried too much or were too demanding. So much so that some church parents declared that if a baby simply cried, it was committing a sin, and as St. Augustine put it: "they suffer from a demon . . they are under the power of the devil . . some babies die in this affliction . " implying that not only deformed children were killed as changelings.
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During this time, children are marked as parents of their parents, having more of an obligation to contribute to their parents, as servants, helping around the house or being a miniature version of their own parents, hoping to behave like rational adults. Children are given the obligation to calm down, serve and be there for their parents whenever they need it. The child is conceived as a homunculus (miniature man) who doesn´t evolve or change until he is an adult.
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William Sloan states that severely whipping children at school and at home was very common and Philippe Aries presents in his book Centuries of Childhood evidence of sexual abuse of children and says that playing with children's private parts was part of a widespread tradition; this tyrannical act had been going on for a long time (13th century) since there were different perspectives that even thought having sex with children cured venereal diseases.
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According to Richard Allestree, "the new-born babe is full of the stains and pollution of sin, which it inherits from our first parents through our loins ..." implying that children bore the sins of their parents and should be punished for them and that the only way to cure them was through baptism, which often included the actual exorcism of the devil; thus it was believed that the child who cried at his baptism was letting the devil out.
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Only the legitimate children of rich families had the possibility to study and live "with dignity". On the other hand, poor children were sold by their parents to be servants of other families and were abandoned in orphanages or to other people who were not family members.
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Parents in the past saw children as bad and loving. Since they faced an effect called the double image where they perceived a projective reaction in which they used the children as a vehicle for the projection of the contents of their own unconscious and a reaction of reversion where the children only existed to satisfy the needs of the parents. This effect was only a way of conceiving an excuse for the abuse.
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Rousseau's work contains a series of principles on how to educate children. The child is good by nature. He´s born that way and it´s society that perverts the good behavior of the child.In contrast to the medieval perspective of the child as homunculus, he maintains that he is a being with his own characteristics and summarizes these ideas in the phrase: The small of man is not simply a small man. For Rousseau, education must be compulsory and must include women.
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Taking more extreme measures to control children who were growing up and outgrown, adults created scary methods such as witches, demons and countless ghosts that would prevent the "bad" behavior of children. Although in ancient times it is said that this method was also used, it is suggested that it took more strength in the nineteenth century.
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Infanticide of legitimate and illegitimate children was normal in ancient times; the killing of children decreased only during the Middle Ages, but children continued to be killed regularly until the 19th century. Illegitimate children were killed because they "didn´t deserve to live" while legitimate children under the influence of male chauvinism were the most killed. It´s also worth mentioning that what is known today as postpartum depression, was one of the most common causes of infanticide.
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Children are considered to be a population with specific needs, so they should have a series of rights that are also specific. This is because it is assumed that during childhood we human beings are much more vulnerable than in adulthood, so greater protection is needed from the competent institutions.
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This book examines the wide scope of infanticide and brutality towards children in the past, particularly in antiquity.
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It is a sophisticated psychoanalytic reading of childhood and personality in late 18th century England.
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This book poses the psychiatric comparison of child abuse in the past and present examines the range of emotional attitudes towards children from antiquity, expressing their growing horror as it uncovers a story of incessant "heartlessness and cruelty".
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This book focuses primarily on the unique 17th century document, Heroard's diary of Louis XIII's childhood, but does so with great psychological sensitivity and awareness of the psychohistorical implications of his findings.
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At this time, children are seen as a social group with a series of recognized rights that deserve to be participants in society.
