6th English Week Reflexions: Thursday 8th February

VICTORIAN CHILDREN IN VICTORIAN TIMES

Life for Victorian Children was nothing like childhood in today’s world. Rich and poor children had a very different life.

Wealthy Victorian Children rarely communicated with their parents. Parents hire a nanny or nurse and they instruct her what they wanted to be learned by their children such as manners, education, how to dress and so on. Nannies were usually older women that had never been married. Many times nannies were intolerant and very strict. Although, there were some nannies who were kind and caring and supplied the only love a child would experience. 

The poor Victorian Children didn’t have the nice houses to live in or the extravagant toys, clothes or fine foods that the rich kids had. They lived in much smaller houses or even single rooms. Without the presence of a nanny the parents raised the children. Victorian children work at a very young age. As unbelievable as it sounds, sometimes even 4 or 5 years old. They worked very hard and for long hours every day. Their parents made them work to help pay the bills at home.

“La vida per als nens i nenes victorians no s’assembla gens a la infantesa del món d’avui dia. Les criatures riques i les pobres tenien una vida molt diferent.

Els nens/es adinerats rarament es comunicaven amb els seus pares. Aquests contractaven una mainadera per tal que ensenyés als seus fills modals, educació, com vestir-se... Acostumaven a ser dones grans que no s’havien casat mai. Moltes vegades les mainaderes eren intolerants i molt estrictes. Tot i que també hi havia algunes que eren amables i donaven als nens l’estima que necessitaven.

Els nens/es pobres no tenien cases boniques per viure, ni tampoc extravagant joguines, roba o exquisits menjars com sí tenien els rics. Vivien en cases molt més petites i, de vegades, en una simple habitació. Sense la presència d’una mainadera, els pares eren els que criaven als nens. Aquests treballaven des d’una edat molt primerenca. Encara que soni impossible, de vegades era als 4 o 5 anys. Treballaven molt durament i durant moltes hores cada dia. Els seus pares els feien treballar per ajudar-los a pagar els rebuts de casa.”

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