3 ms·
This is a (very recent) anachronism. Most people in antiquity saw children as a blessing. The more children you had, the larger your bloodline would be. In fac
by requin246 6y ago
This is a (very recent) anachronism.
Most people in antiquity saw children as a blessing. The more children you had, the larger your bloodline would be. In fact, being unable to have children was a point of shame for a woman. It wasn’t until the rise of the modern era in the west that people started wanting small families or no children at all.
You can still see this idea of children as a blessing present in some communities that haven’t been westernized, e.g. some Mohawk communities in Canada.
- redis_mlc 6y agoIf you read the article, that group is subsistence gatherers, basically trying to find enough calories daily to survive. A very different situation than pondering one's bloodline.
- thefz 6y ago> Most people in antiquity saw children as a blessing. 2003 is antiquity?
- abfan1127 6y agoit was a blessing because you had more help. Children could work the farm, help hunt, household chores, etc. When you're a subsistence farmer, getting more help is critical to feeding the family. Now, children can't be brought to the worksite or office, so the blessing is less helpful.