Changes of roles between parents and children

Changes of Roles between Parents and Children

Postman – “Death of Childhood”

There is an argument that childhood as we know it is fading and the distance between adult and childhood is narrowing. Postman (1994) argued that childhood is “disappearing at a dazzling speed”. As supporting evidence he looked at the trend towards giving children the same rights as adults, the growing similarity of adult and children’s clothing and cases of children committing ‘adult crimes’ eg murder and sexual assault. Postman’s theory is based on the view that communications technology is the primary thing which shapes society. Following Aries, he suggested that in the Middle Ages, most people were illiterate and speech was the main form of communication, thus there was hardly any distinction between adults and children. Postman argues that childhood emerged along with mass literacy. This was because the printed word created a division between those that could read (adults) and those that couldn’t (children). This division emerged because it takes several years to master reading and writing skills.

However he argues now that things like television and the internet blur this separation and that children are now much more able to access the ‘adult world’. As a result, the childhood as we know it is disappearing. Evidence that suggests this are as follows:

*Growth of Internet/social media means parents and children are becoming more equal

*Children having the same rights as adults

‘Learner Voice’ in education – children used on new teacher interview panels

Critics may say:

*It is more complex than disappearance – there are several trends going at once

*Children are…