In days of yore, we would have spent most of our days, as children, working our little fingers to the bone.
Such was the case during the industrial revolution in England, and such was the case for children in India and, indeed, all over the world.
Farm children had to work. Pure and simple.
When free schooling was first offered to children in the United States, many children could only stay in school long enough to learn their letters so they could read the bible, and sign their names, and then had to leave to help out at home, babysitting the younger children, helping on the farm, or sewing and weaving to make money..
There's a reason why Moses handed down one of the commandments to rest on the seventh day...because people in the old days would NEVER have rested otherwise.
What is happening NOW is that children are receiving free schooling and they are REQUIRED to stay in school. If they don't, they and their parents are punished.
I believe an unintended consequence of such lengthy schooling was to cause children to be spoiled.
I remember being shocked when I first learned that after school was done, I would have to work to support and feed myself, and that work would be harder and LONGER than school.
It's true that there is not much time left over to "live", or stop and smell the roses...but we have a HELL of a lot more time, money, and energy left over to do so than our ancestors ever did.
