cause according to [this article](https://www.historycrunch.com/child-labor-in-the-industrial-revolution.html#/) children as young as 4 years old used to be employed, but that just seems incredibly counter productive. most 4 year olds i know cant even tie their shoes. cause once a child can function without supervision without dying (so 9-12) i can see why from their fucked point of view they would use child labor, but i feel like the resources needed to train and keep the children alive would far outweigh the reward for basically free labor
In: 0
The most compelling theory I’ve read about why kids start becoming picky eaters around age 3 is that it’s at this age that they become able to start helping with small basic tasks away from parents/feeders, like collecting sticks (to be used as firewood). You don’t want a kid off doing simple chores to be shoving any strange item into their mouth, but rather *want* them to be extremely picky about food.
So, kids can definitely be taught to do really basic tasks at quite a young age, and skills will develop as the work continues.
You couldn’t take a spoiled, bored, screen-addicted 6-year-old who has never done a chore in his life, and tell him to go be a chimney sweep and expect him to perform the task perfectly. These kids had exposure to the job and its circumstances, plenty of training and supervision, and experience over time.
**Also**! You should seriously adjust your thinking on the age at which kids can function without much supervision without dying. There are awesome places called “adventure playgrounds” where kids can play with fire, hammers, nails, whatever, with very hands-off supervision (trained people, definitely NOT the kids’ parents), starting at age 5. Kids are really good at taking risks at appropriate levels, when given a wide range of possibilities.
Here is a really cool short video about one such place! [https://www.newday.com/film/land](https://www.newday.com/film/land) [https://youtu.be/kR7QeqLhhSA](https://youtu.be/kR7QeqLhhSA)
Latest Answers