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BABIES || BRINGING THEM UP || SONS & FATHERS |
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BABIES || BRINGING THEM UP || SONS & FATHERS |
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When a baby was born, it was presented to the relatives. This took place from ten days after the birth to only a couple of days after birth. It was held as a big celebration. The father would commonly name the child at this time.
But the father might also decide not to raise the baby as part of the oikos (family). For it was better to feed the children already existing as part of this oikos rather than making them all suffer by raising one more and having them all go hungry. It was common, too, that many babies died soon after being born. It migh seem that the baby was not likely to live. The baby might be exposed (left out in the open on a hillside to die). But if the family made the decision to raise the infant, then most important for this event, would be that the father would declare this child his own. This was a public display that this child was indeed a citizen and belonged to the oikos.
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The mother was trusted by the father of the family to raise the children. The fathers would separate themselves from their children. The father did involve himself in the life of his son, but not until he was about 7 years old, and when his children reached a marriageable age. It was common for the mothers to leave their babies with a wet-nurse (often a slave), or another mother who could watch the children during the day. This was necessary so that the mother could go to work in the fields for her family. But it was generally thought that most mothers would rather stay with their babies, if it were possible.
To the left is shown a clay doll with jointed arms - a child's toy. |
To guarantee the son's respect for his father, the father was forced by social pressure to hand over management of the estate to his eldest son by the time he had reached 30 years of age. The failure of this act could end with a public quarrel between them. The son could not legally own his father's estate until after the father's death.
The ideal situation was that the son was always obedient and learned well from the father's wisdom and life experiences. Of course, this includes, obeying the father.
