There is little evidence of what it was really like in the past so it is difficult for a lot of people to re-construct the life of a child, however from what I have researched, and in my own opinion I am going to summarise the historical changes in childhood experience and relate these changes to childhood development and rights.

In the 19th century I think children missed out on most of their childhood as most of them took on jobs such as chimney sweepers, street sellers and farms for example. These were mainly children from poor families who were seen as extra farm hands and were exploited by receiving low pay for long hours and working in poor conditions. Families did not look at how the children were treated and the possible impact …show more content…

I’m not saying all single mothers lead to this because I know this from my own experience but according to a study in America in 2006 a broken family structure leads to education difficulty for children, saying;

“when it comes to education achievement, children living with their own married parents do significantly better than other children.”

An example of one family that I looked at and found interesting was that both parents were excessive drinkers and argued a lot, the father was also physically abusive and their 2 children could be affected all they way in till they reach adulthood by being angry and never trusting male-female relationships as all they have seen in their parents relationship is a war zone. They have never seen problems resolved constructively, so maybe severely limited in their ability to deal with stressful situations involving the important person in their adult relationships.

Challenges in family systems can be hard to meet a child’s needs especially during a divorce. It can be very emotional for children during this time as one parent leaves the house or the child is re-locating, leaving the family home that they have ever known. They can blame themselves,