Today's assumption that childhood represents a distinct phase in the life course stands in sharp contrast to the notion of children as little adults that was popular in preindustrial times. This example highlights how:

This clearly illustrates how our notions of childhood and how we remember our childhood are socially constructed. People create ideas and these ideas are accepted. There is every tendency that in years to come, the assumptions or believe surrounding childhood will change, and it keeps on going on and on.