I wonder at what point in human history having children became more than just "what naturally happens" (or doesn't happen) during a person's lifetime. We have a lot of choices in our society when it comes to making babies. I'm thankful for those choices. But the reason that we have choices is because there is so much social pressure attached to a woman's decision to have children.
Nowadays, so many aspects of human social behavior are involved with the decision to have a baby. Religion often factors in--are you married?, can you use birth control? Does society think you're old enough or too old to have a baby? Do your politics play a part in whether or not you feel you have an option to terminate the pregnancy? Have you had "too many" children, or not enough? Do you choose to have children to help you in some way, like tending to a farm? Are children a status symbol in your society? Do you need a son to pass on your family name or inherit your worth?
I mean, at one point we were just like all the other animals, having sex and making babies, and then kicking them out of the nest as soon as possible. I wonder when children became a decision or an effort or a basis for judgment. When was value attached to the child itself? Children can be a liability just as much as they can be an asset. Especially when resources are rare. Why did our society evolve to try and force the idea that they are always an asset (i.e., don't have an abortion and giving your baby up for adoption means there is something wrong with your ability to be a good parent)?
Random thought.
I think it's a rather recent development, no? Before child labor laws, & high infant mortality rates, etc. When having kids was sort of a necessity...not that it isn't! But I mean, necessary for family survival. Dude. I am so not a social scientist. Now I am thinking, though! :)
ReplyDeleteit seems to me that attaching value to children must be something that started a long time ago. you needed a son to pass on your inheritance in feudal England, for example.
ReplyDeletei guess the WAY we value children now is different than the way they must have been valued in, say, ancient Mesopotamia. because life is valued differently now. maybe i'm comparing apples and oranges.
I guess I was thinking of like, people in poverty or in times when women would have like 10 or 15 kids just because they were guaranteed that a majority of them would not survive.
ReplyDeleteBut I think to not attach emotional value to one's children must be like, out of necessity in those circumstances, like psychological repression.
And I am totally tired and wish I were smarter. :(