Conclusion
It is still very common to oversimplify the meaning of childhood and what it means to be a child. "Childhood" will continue to be a very subjective, universal term, but as the years have progressed childhood has come to refer less to a state of reliance and more to a potential of power. Today, Americans have begun to realize that the children are the ones in charge of our nation's tomorrow. It is the expectations that society places upon children that will determine the outcome of our future. Nelson Mandela captured this idea masterfully, as he once said, "There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."
It is still very common to oversimplify the meaning of childhood and what it means to be a child. "Childhood" will continue to be a very subjective, universal term, but as the years have progressed childhood has come to refer less to a state of reliance and more to a potential of power. Today, Americans have begun to realize that the children are the ones in charge of our nation's tomorrow. It is the expectations that society places upon children that will determine the outcome of our future. Nelson Mandela captured this idea masterfully, as he once said, "There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."