Are experiences of childhood culturally unique Essay

Are experiences of childhood culturally unique - Essay Example More specifically, the study will focus on cross-cultural examples of childhood experiences. Childhood depends on the environment and the culture where a child grows; different cultures handle their children in extremely different ways. The physical environment alters the games that children play. For example, children who live in the arctic countries cannot play outdoor games during winter. As such, they must learn how to play outdoor games (Fergus 2009, p. 257). On the contrary, those children who grow in the tropics enjoy a whole year of outdoor games and play because of the friendly tropic weather. Differences in technological advancement and the schooling system alter the childhood years of many children across cultures of the world (Fergus 2009, p. 258). Children living in the 21st century experience different childhood from those who lived in the 19th century. Therefore, the past is a strange country where things were done differently from the present. Countless transformations and alterations have taken place in the lives of children; due to changes in ways that parents treat their children and understanding of the general public on issues that concern children (Cross 1997, p. 50). Today, children do not have many responsibilities, and play characterizes their life instead of work. Further, majority of the children spend their days in school receiving formal education, but not working in the mines or farms for wages (Carol & Melvin 2003, p.777). Today, children spend their Childhood life within the family context instead of public life and children no longer produce, but they depend on their parents for upkeep and nourishment. In the recent past, it was legally and socially acceptable for a child to work in the factory. However, if this happens today, social workers will intervene to save the child, and this will bring serious legal penalties to the owner of the factory and the parents of that child (Carol &