Is it true that there was no conception of childhood before the 1500s? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

Is it true that there was no conception of childhood before the 1500s?

by MournfulStomachache

I heard that there was no conception or idea of childhood before the 1500s, both in West and in East. Is it correct? If so, who would you recommend to read about the subject? I guess Philippe Aries wrote about it. I plan to read him.

hillsonghoods

There are some excellent posts by /u/sunagainstgold on medieval childhoods, including:

When did parents/people start caring about children? and
The idea of "teenagers" being a distinct stage of life seems to be a 20th century culture phenomenon. Where did the idea come from? Was it a creation of the popular media, or a reflection of an already-existing change in social development?

Hope that helps!