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Title: A Changing Childhood Throughout the Generations
By: Adrienne Levesque(Gen Z)

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Baby Boomers (1964 - 1946)

I interviewed my grandparents.

Cheryl (grandmother) born in 1951

Paul (grandfather) born in 1952.

Gen X (1980 - 1965)

I also interviewed my mom.

Vicki (mother) born in 1971.

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This intergeneration interview is to explore how childhood is shaped by time, place, and social norms by comparing my own Gen Z upbringing to the experiences of my Baby Boomer grandparents and Gen X mother. I focused interviewing on gender, class, and family life which I uncovered how children’s roles, freedoms, and expectations have shifted across generations. By using stories from my family and things I have learned from Module 4, this Padlet shows that childhood changes over time and is shaped by these factors.

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In this generation, childhood had clearly defined roles. “You were a boy or a girl,” said my grandfather. There was no discussion on gender back then where nowadays people are judged for the way they talk, dress or identify as. Class played a huge role, too where families patched or sewed old clothes and "lived frugally" as my grandfather said. My grandfather was going on about a story when he was growing up about his brother. He was left-handed and their mother forced him to use his right hand because of a stigma that you were going to be different and have a harder time growing up. Their mother forced him to eat and play sports with his right hand so he relied on that growing up and now uses his right hand to this day. This was a form of ableism as learned in Module 4. Back then mothers were expected to stay home, and a woman’s income was not counted toward the household. My grandfather bough his first house at 20 and my grandmother was 19 and they would not allow her name to go on the deed of the house. Family care was the norm, with no formal daycare available.

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During my generation I grew up with more safety rules, technology, and one thing always being told to me was being aware. Social media was a big form of drama growing up, and created new forms of judgment and pressure. Everyone always tied to their phones, but luckily I was raised with lots of outdoor time which made a positive impact on me today. Another key issue growing up was name brand things and “aesthetic.” Everyone wanted to be like each other and raced for popularity. Growing up I had working parents so I stayed with grandparents until my mom was able to find childcare she was comfortable placing me in. Although we have more access, we also face economic challenges, mental health pressures, and more structured lives. My mom’s quote stuck with me: “Kids don’t ask to be here, so they should get to have the childhood they deserve.” But what that looks like has changed over time.

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Across three generations, I noticed a clear transition over time. Starting from survival and strict roles to freedom and now to structure with social complexity. Gender identity moved from invisible (Boomers), to implied (Gen X), to now open but judged (Gen Z). Economic class changed overtime from being about saving and making do, to wanting more, to buying and having more. One thing that stayed the same throughout generations is the titles of low-class, middle-class and upper-class. Family life was once mother-centered, then relaxed, and now balanced with external care and supervision. These stories show how childhood is shaped not only by age, but by history and identity.

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Wells describes a socially and historically specific experience of childhood that is shaped by class, gender roles, and family dynamics. This relates to my mom as she always remembers growing up as an unstructured childhood. She states “we could ride bikes anywhere and no one worried.” She also talked about the difference in safety stating “we stayed home alone where now you have to be a certain age, and parents are afraid to do that.” Wells explains how parenting norms shift over time and are often influenced by broader societal fears and regulations. With no cell phones or constant supervision, play was imaginative and independent with lots of time outdoors. She remembered always being outside in the neighborhood playing imaginative games, and riding her bike to the store down the street called "The Beehive." Gender expectations still lingered where the girls did chores around the house and the boys did yard work and grew up working on cars. Financial hardship were a common theme and money was much different back then. Although prices were so much cheaper, pay was also very low. They grew up on a tight budget with hand-me-downs and doing chores to “earn” things they wanted. This contrasts with many Gen Z kids today who grow up with more of a luxury and less responsibility.

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The experiences shared by my grandparents and mom show how childhood is shaped by gender roles, class, and family life just like Wells explains in her readings. In the Baby Boomer generation, gender was strictly defined and boys were expected to act tough, like when my grandfather’s brother was forced to switch hands due to a stigma around being left-handed. That connects to ableism and rigid gender norms discussed by Wells. Class also played a major role where families reused and made do with clothes, lived on one income, and kids grew up with little but learned to make do. My mom’s experience showed a shift, with more freedom to roam but still based off a strong raising where girls did chores inside, while boys worked outside. Wells says that parenting and childhood expectations shift with society, and that shows in how my generation is more supervised, faces pressure from social media, and has less independence. Today, kids have more access to things but also more judgment and anxiety. These changes show how childhood is not just fixed.

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Over the course of these three generations, I was able to see how gender and class shaped childhood in very different ways. From a much different perspective in my grandparents' time, to freedom and imagination for my mom, to structure and social pressure in mine with a lot of similarities from my moms generation as she raised us that way. This shows how childhood has changed a lot. Wells reminds us that childhood is not one universal experience, but something shaped by the world around us. As my mom stated, “Kids don’t ask to be here, so they should get to have the childhood they deserve.” This reflects that children should be protected, supported, and understood within their specific social contexts. Each generation tries to give their kids the best, even as everything keeps changing.