How do we measure attitudes such as love towards children in Prehistory, Antiquity and Middle Ages? Were children highly valued, or devalued? The answer will very much depend on the standards against which we measure the emotions or observe the material consequences of these emotions. According to modern standards, children probably cannot be said to be highly regarded in the past. When observed against similar groups, however, the answer may be quite different. It remains an open question whether attitudes towards children were more negative than towards others, at least when we measure them against other marginalized groups such as slaves, elderly, and disabled.
