What was the role of children in a patriarchal family?

Question: What was the role of children in a patriarchal family!?
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To do as they were told - in the words of the old saying 'children should be seen and not heard' (oh that it were so today!)Www@QuestionHome@Com

'm not sure what a 'patriarchal family' is!. if you mean one in which the father is head of the family (as has been normal in most places throughout most of history) that would greatly depend on the culture they were living in, their class, period of history etc!.

Up until comparatively recently in most cultures, most children would expect to make themselves useful as soon as they were old enough!. So in an agricultural society they would be out helping in the fields when they were old enough, in a town they would be helping out in whatever the family business was!. Children would learn the skills necessary to cope with life from their parents!. some children would go to school, perhaps all of them depending on what period of history we are talking about!. Universal education for children has been the norm in western society now for well over a hundred years!.

How relations were personally would vary from family to family!. As today, some families were closer and more affectionate than others!. Some fathers were more closely involved with their children than others!. In the past there were fewer divorces and absentee fathers than there are now, so probably on the whole fathers would be more prominent in the lives of their children than they often are nowadays!. In a patriarchal society fathers are more likely to take their role as head of the household seriously, rather than skipping off and leaving the mother to cope with everything!.Www@QuestionHome@Com