BBC article on teens in the medieval period

[martasfic]

This may be useful to some of you who write certain Middle-earth cultures like Arnor/Eriador, Laketown/Dale, Rohan, and the like. Even absent that, it's interesting on its own.

What medieval Europe did with its teenagers

Comments

[lady-branwyn.livejournal.com]

Very interesting--thanks for sharing this.
I recall reading work by a social historian (maybe Phillipe Aries) who claimed that early modern parents did not make an emotional investment in their offspring until the children had managed to survive for several years!

[marta-bee.livejournal.com]

I've got a friend who runs a small independent publishing company on the history of Quakerism, and he mentioned something rather interesting to me: as late as the 18th century, Quakers had family trees and genealogy documents specially printed up that didn't have two columns for dates: one for birth dates, one for the recorded. At the time it was common (according to him, at least) to not record the child as a family member until years later, and Quakers were the odd ones out to record the child's birth right away.

Now that I think about it, that seems slightly off to me, so it's possible I'm misremembering the details. But the basic thrust of what you're saying about early modern parenting seems right. :-)

[shirebound]

That *is* interesting. I had no idea about this practice.

[mrowe.livejournal.com]

Given that we already know the Heirs of Isildur were fostered in Rivendell, it stands to reason that the practice would exist to some extent in Middle-earth.
Also, Túrin was sent to Doriath to be fostered by Thingol, so First Age as well.