Prehistoric Children

[Dungannon]

Here's the summary if you don't want to read the short article.

"But it does seem like the overwhelming parenting lesson from the distant past is that children had more responsibilities, less adult supervision and certainly no indulgence from their parents. It is a picture of a childhood very different from our own, at least from the privileged perspective of life in Western society."


What ancient footprints can tell us about what it was like
to be a child in prehistoric times
https://phys.org/news/2018-02-ancient-footprints-child-prehistoric.html

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[cigars]

All I know is that when I was a kid that I had to walk uphill in the snow to go to school, both ways!

 

[moose]

All I know is that when I was a kid that I had to walk uphill in the snow to go to school, both ways!

I grew up in a muddy hole in the ground and we darn appreciated having it cause it's all we had.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

When I was a kid all we could play was "rock" 'cause paper and scissors hadn't been invented yet...
Andy

 

[Dungannon]

My son Scott called me a fossil in 1996. So I'll have you know that back in my day we could only hold a rock if dad was around to make sure we didn't put an eye out. You had to be draft-age, with a high school diploma and a clean record, to be trusted with a rock.

 

[The Heretic]

Here's the summary if you don't want to read the short article.

"But it does seem like the overwhelming parenting lesson from the distant past is that children had more responsibilities, less adult supervision and certainly no indulgence from their parents. It is a picture of a childhood very different from our own, at least from the privileged perspective of life in Western society."


What ancient footprints can tell us about what it was like
to be a child in prehistoric times
https://phys.org/news/2018-02-ancient-footprints-child-prehistoric.html

Not terribly different from mine. I had chores and every summer I had to work in the fields. Still, I had it a lot better than some of my friends who had a dairy farm - they had a lot more chores (they are full time farmers now - I prefer my job to farming).

 

[Boboclown]

All I know is that when I was a kid that I had to walk uphill in the snow to go to school, both ways!

I thought that was how you got those "hats."

 

[CoastRange57]

"But it does seem like the overwhelming parenting lesson from the distant past is that children had more responsibilities, less adult supervision and certainly no indulgence from their parents. It is a picture of a childhood very different from our own, at least from the privileged perspective of life in Western society."

The distant past ?? 1960's - 70's ?? Where I was driving a tractor raking hay at 9 years old, had 4-H and FFA projects that made me over $ 10,000 per year, where I worked on the neighbors farm at 12 years old, and by the time I was a senior in high school farming 50 acres of my own, 2 farm jobs, 30 head of cattle. Working 40 hours a week while going to OSU full time, no college debt at all.

I worked my azz off and enjoyed the money and the lifestyle it gave me. Work, cars, girls, hunting and fishing, flying lessons. Not privileged in my opinion, but I know kids now days do not work that hard.

Author has to be some kind of millennial wizard who figured this all out.

 

[moose]

The distant past ?? 1960's - 70's ?? Where I was driving a tractor raking hay at 9 years old, had 4-H and FFA projects that made me over $ 10,000 per year, where I worked on the neighbors farm at 12 years old, and by the time I was a senior in high school farming 50 acres of my own, 2 farm jobs, 30 head of cattle. Working 40 hours a week while going to OSU full time, no college debt at all.

I worked my azz off and enjoyed the money and the lifestyle it gave me. Work, cars, girls, hunting and fishing, flying lessons. Not privileged in my opinion, but I know kids now days do not work that hard.

Author has to be some kind of millennial wizard who figured this all out.

We had very similar upbringings.

Anyway, the article is junk science. The premise goat tracks overlain by child tracks leads to the conclusion the parents weren't helicopter types therefore everyone at the time were that way.

Assumption followed by guess followed by irrational hopscotch. People then were a lot like people now, just as smart, just as clever. Kids helped on the farm as soon as they are able.

 

[No_Regerts]

When I was a kid all we could play was "rock" 'cause paper and scissors hadn't been invented yet...
Andy

You had a rock? Lucky! Silver spooners, I tell ya....

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Oh yeah..we was "Uptown"...our cave even had fire....
Andy

You had a rock? Lucky! Silver spooners, I tell ya....

 

[The Heretic]

We had very similar upbringings.

Anyway, the article is junk science. The premise goat tracks overlain by child tracks leads to the conclusion the parents weren't helicopter types therefore everyone at the time were that way.

Assumption followed by guess followed by irrational hopscotch. People then were a lot like people now, just as smart, just as clever. Kids helped on the farm as soon as they are able.

I don't know that it is "junk", but it does seem to jump to conclusions, or at least make suppositions based on very little evidence. I think that may be standard for archeology - making guesses about how people lived based on scant clues.

 

[Stomper]

I can just hear the scene now as the prehistoric kids were walking along..... "ooogga booogggaaaa..... ooogga booogggaaaa..... ooogga booogggaaaa?!!!"


Translation: Are we there yet, are we there yet, are we there yet?!!!

 

[CountryGent]

"Prehistoric Children" sounds like a B-grade movie. You know, something like Eegah (1962). "Watch out for snakes!"

 

[Crohnos01]

Here's the summary if you don't want to read the short article.

"But it does seem like the overwhelming parenting lesson from the distant past is that children had more responsibilities, less adult supervision and certainly no indulgence from their parents. It is a picture of a childhood very different from our own, at least from the privileged perspective of life in Western society."


What ancient footprints can tell us about what it was like
to be a child in prehistoric times
https://phys.org/news/2018-02-ancient-footprints-child-prehistoric.html

Oh, yeah... I remember that day when my buddies and I got into the mud chasing the goats... Didn't expect for anyone to find our footprints all these years later...

 

[Colts4me]

I don' think I had it so rough being poor, didn't have a lot to eat but never ate boogers like the rich kids did.

 

[Dungannon]

I think that may be standard for archeology - making guesses about how people lived based on scant clues.

The further back in time, the less evidence to work with. It's a heck of lot more than a WAG. Traditionally, archeologists have used the best local African hunters to analyze tracks. Short articles written for public consumption won't convince skeptics of anything, but then they wouldn't read the full field study if it were available.

 

[moose]

I don't know that it is "junk", but it does seem to jump to conclusions, or at least make suppositions based on very little evidence. I think that may be standard for archeology - making guesses about how people lived based on scant clues.

The conclusion being there was a volcanic eruption just after my great uncle Alfred's contract with Chuck's Goat Herding Services had a bring your kids to work day. The implication would else be one or more persons of the social unit would be detailed to child supervision, removing them from the workforce. That would never work in an environment where margins are thin and life is probably hand to mouth.

Why wouldn't you think you couldn't find the same combination of foot prints in a modern agrarian tribe? Mongolia perhaps? If this is science, where's my control study!?!

 

[CoastRange57]

If this is science, where's my control study!?!

There you go getting all correct on it...one of the first things I thought of too.