It is one of the most paradoxical things that the word children is the most modern word used for offspring. In many non-Western societies it is still believed that “your child will always remain a child for you as the parent, even if he/she gets 60 years old”. This belief is not an expression of parently love, but of sad social conditions in which the rights of an adult individual are much less worth than the interests of the family. The usage of the word children when referring to adult offspring originates from ideologies which granted the male head of the family (the patriarch) or those representing him (including females) the right to determine the life of his children, even after they became adults. The Mafia families are examples of how such beliefs and family systems (did) function.
Using the word children for both younger and adult offspring originates from the denial of individual rights in “tribal” societies. But even in today’s liberal world, when so many people are experimenting with gender and sexuality related wor(l)ds, it seems that children are still the most ignored social group.
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