[DanaC]

I think part of the difference might lie in our cultural orientation to childhood. We have a cultural expectation of childhood 'innocence' and expect that responsibility will be a gradually acquired trait. It's been a long time since children in our culture were seen as necessary contributers to the family economy or conduits for social mobility.

Instead we have almost the opposite of that. Children shouldn't be expected to carry that sort of responsibility, and children should have freedom to play and explore their talents/interests/proclivities without the burden of adult responsibility.

I read a fascinating history book a couple of years ago on 'The invention of Childhood'. Much of what was assumed about about pre-industrial parenting and attitudes to children in western cultures has now been over turned or refined, but there was a definate shift in how children were seen and what was expected of the childhood and parenting experiences during the post-enlightenment era. It's during the early 19th century we really begin to see the 'cult of innocence' in European and American culture. Something we still have vestiges of in our modern culture.

Of course, the 'innocence' expected of childhood was primarily a middle/upper class expectation, which only later began to be applied to poorer families.