• The Diminishing Value of Childhood

    Could I climb to the highest place in Athens, I would lift my voice and proclaim, “Fellow citizens, why do you turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth and take so little care of your children to whom one day you must relinquish it all?” — Socrates A few years ago while shopping in the children’s department at an unnamed location (think Big box retailer), I came across a size 6x “Hello Kitty” thong. I am still haunted by the sighting. For me, the sight of those teeny tiny panties confirmed my worst fears about the diminishing value of childhood in our culture. Throughout history, the concept of childhood has remained malleable. Numerous scholars have confirmed that as a society experiences shifts in predominate values or norms, concepts of childhood are routinely affected. Despite the popular…