“In the years of the Roman Republic, before the Christian era, Roman education was meant to produce those character traits that would make the ideal family man. Children were taught primarily to be good to their families. To revere gods, one's parents, and the laws of the state were the primary lessons for Roman boys. Cicero described the goal of their child rearing as "self- control, combined with dutiful affection to parents, and kindliness to kindred.” MenYearsChildrenSelfStatesCharacterChristianLawParentGoalBoysProduceTaughtLessonsIdealsAffectionBe GoodPrimariesErasRepublicTraitsSelf ControlKindredChild RearingFamily ManCharacter TraitKindliness Author:C. Sommerville
“[17th-century] Puritans were the first modern parents. Like many of us, they looked on their treatment of children as a test of their own self-control. Their goal was not to simply to ensure the child's duty to the family, but to help him or her make personal, individual commitments. They were the first authors to state that children must obey God rather than parents, in case of a clear conflict.” FirstsChildrenSelfStatesHelpingIndividualParentGoalCasesClearModernCenturyDutyConflictCommitmentTestsTreatmentSelf ControlPuritan17th Century Author:C. Sommerville