With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

History shows adults adapting childhood to serve their own ends [audio 15min]

This is the 30th and final episode "Invention of Childhood", a major 30-part narrative history series exploring British childhood and the experience of British children over the last thousand years, with one 15-minute programme each weekday since 25th Sept. As he looks back over our thousand-year history, Michael Morpurgo reflects on the impact of adults on children's lives -- the ways that parents, teachers, ministers of religion and politicians have so often adapted childhood to serve their own ends. What have we learned about British childhood in our long story? As he celebrates the ability of children to create and invent and retain their sense of selves, Michael makes a heart-felt plea for us to listen to children and to take heed of what they say about the childhoods they themselves are living today. Michael is one of the UK's most popular children's writer, and Britain's former Children's Laureate. "Invention of Childhood" will be repeated in six 1-hour specials from 24-29 December, 9-10pm GMT.
Read entire article at BBC Radio 4 "Invention of Childhood"