Would it be accurate to say people in the past, subjectively at least, loved their children less than we as parents do now? Or perhaps at least we're less sentimental than we are?

Though we often say, and with good reason, that the past is a foreign country and people do things differently there, there are also places of commonality. Grief be but one of them. More can always be said on the matter, so if anyone would like to address parental attachment to their children, please don't let this post stop you! More responses are always welcome.

For the meantime, OP, we can come at your question in an admittedly rather gruesome direction: how parents dealt with losing their children. Content warning for grief below, because...well, ashenblight.

u/amandycat has a general overview on parental grief;
u/Celebreth has a Roman poem on the death of a young girl;
and u/sunagainstgold has a Medieval look at parents dealing with grief.