Monthly Theme: Childhood, Children, and Youth

By October 2, 2013

“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” the statement released by the church in September of 1995 declares that ?Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. ?Children are an heritage of the Lord? (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives?mothers and fathers?will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.? These words first read aloud in September of 1995 by church president Gordon B. Hinckley were another powerful iteration among many since the church?s early days that reaffirmed the theological and cultural significance of children within Mormonism.

This month at the Juvenile Instructor we will be examining the history of Mormon childhood and youth. Central to this monthly theme is acknowledging the tension that lies between ideas of childhood and the actual experiences of children and adolescences.  In 2000 at a History of Childhood conference, historians Joseph M. Hawes and N. Ray Hiner directly addressed this tension and the confusion that stems from it: ?Childhood as a social construction, that is, the ideals and expectations that adults establish for children, should not be confused with what actually experience.? Official leaders, influential adults, and parents within the church were no different than other American adults in establishing a set of ideals that they thought their children should live.   Unsurprisingly, Mormon children did not always live up to the ideals and expectations bound up with the older generation?s view of a proper Mormon childhood.  Additionally, attached to adults? visions of an idealized Mormon childhood were generational conflicts that emerged around critical junctures in the Mormon timeline: the migration westward, the end of church-sanctioned plural marriage, gaining of Utah statehood, and the Priesthood ban to name a few.

For far too long the history of childhood, children, and youth has not held a central place within the discipline due to several long held myths including the idea that children were not powerful historical actors and the perception that primary sources created by children were scarce if existent at all. Thankfully, these attitudes have begun to change as more scholars have embraced the historical study of children, childhood, and youth. Recent work by Mormon historians like Richard Ian Kimball and Rebecca de Schweinitz have led way in widening the historical study of children and childhood in Mormonism. We hope to contribute to and engage with this expanding conversation about the historical intersections of religion, age, and childhood/children?s history throughout October.

So, please join us this month as permabloggers and guests examine the idea of childhood and the experiences of children within the church?s history. There?s still plenty of room for additional bloggers, so if you would like to contribute, send me an e-mail at rosenat3@msu.edu to be considered.

Article filed under Miscellaneous


Comments

  1. Solid content just keeps coming at the JI! Thanks Natalie, for introducing the month and the hard work you’ll be putting in coordinating the posts. I’m excited to see what we produce this month!

    Comment by David G. — October 2, 2013 @ 10:39 am

  2. Looking forward to it.

    Comment by Saskia — October 2, 2013 @ 12:42 pm

  3. As I focus on Navajo education in the twentieth century, I face a lot of the questions that you pose for this monthly theme. The children are primary actors in the history that I study and interpret but trying to reach and understand their experience as children is complicated. For example, I often rely on oral history but from the adult voice and perspective looking back on childhood and many years before. I am excited to see and contribute to the discussions this month.

    Comment by Farina — October 2, 2013 @ 11:07 pm

  4. Excellent. I’m glad to hear more about Mormon children, in addition to their propensity to walk….and walk…and walk. (Primary hymn for children about pioneer children.)

    Comment by J Stuart — October 3, 2013 @ 8:00 am

  5. Looking forward to this, Natalie.

    Comment by Christopher — October 3, 2013 @ 8:49 am

  6. I’m looking forward to this as well. Rebecca de Schweinitz’s article on the possibilities of childhood studies in JMH a while ago really fascinated me.

    Comment by Ben P — October 3, 2013 @ 12:07 pm

  7. Wonderful. I’m looking forward to this. Last month’s theme on material culture was excellent, and I enjoyed all the posts.

    Comment by Amy T — October 3, 2013 @ 12:55 pm

  8. […] my contribution to this month’s theme of childhood, children, and youth, I want to throw around a couple of loosely-formed thoughts on how Mormonism fits into the history […]

    Pingback by Juvenile Instructor » Visionary/Prophetic Children: A Research Query — October 16, 2013 @ 6:01 am

  9. […] part of our monthly series Childhood, Children, and Youth, we are very pleased to have a post from Lisa Tait. She has recently joined the staff at the LDS […]

    Pingback by Juvenile Instructor » Guest Post, Lisa Tait, Thinking Generationally — October 22, 2013 @ 8:01 am

  10. […] Juvenile Instructor » Guest Post, Lisa Tait, Thinking Generationally: Monthly Theme: Childhood, Children, […]

    Pingback by Juvenile Instructor » Guest Post, Amy Moore, “The Flapper Rose” and Other Warnings — October 23, 2013 @ 9:41 am

  11. […] a new age categorization overlapped with Mormon concerns about youth. As part of the monthly series Childhood, Children, and Youth , I have offered some, perhaps, scattered historiographical thinking below about the development of […]

    Pingback by Juvenile Instructor » Adolescence, Gendered Anxieties, and the Emergence of the YLMIA and YMMIA — October 26, 2013 @ 8:01 am

  12. […] Juvenile Instructor » Adolescence, Gendered Anxieties, and the Emergence of the YLMIA and YMMIA: Monthly Theme: Childhood, Children, […]

    Pingback by Juvenile Instructor » Southwestern States Mission: The Naming and Blessing of Children — October 27, 2013 @ 8:38 am

  13. […] our monthly series Childhood, Children, and Youth, we are excited to have a guest post from Spencer Lincoln Green. Spencer is a Phd candidate in the […]

    Pingback by Juvenile Instructor » Guest post, Spencer Lincoln Green, The Incredibly Comples Expectations of Our Little Angels — October 30, 2013 @ 9:49 am


Series

Recent Comments

Steve Fleming on Thoughts on Study and: “Thanks, Brent. Sorry I missed this. Get some more posts up soon.”


Brent on Thoughts on Study and: “I commend you for your efforts. Godspeed.”


Liz Busby on Mormon Studies at the: “What are the conference dates? When are proposals due?”


thechair on New Books in Mormon: “What about Benjamin Park’s “American Zion,” published this month (Jan., 2024)?”


Chad Nielsen on New Books in Mormon: “Thanks for putting this together!”


Chad Nielsen on Relaunch of Element: A: “Is the April due date for 2024 or do I need to locate a TARDIS?”

Topics


juvenileinstructor.org