Childhood Abandonment Sociology

Childhood abandonment was unfortunately an accepted practice in Europe during the Middle Ages. Childhood abandonment took place for a number of reasons and certain lawmakers and religious institutions played a huge role in dealing with this situation.
The church played a huge role in the disposal of children. The church had rules concerning the way parents should dispose of their children. Back then, it was accepted for parents to expose a child by leaving him or her on the steps of a church.
Another factor that affected the rate of abandonment was gender. Couples preferred male child over female child simply because males were believed to be of more benefit to them. As a result, they abandon their children to work for wealthy families.
Back then, it was believed that birth defects was a result of couples not following the rules made by the church. Christian couples were forbidden from engaging in coitus during menstruation, lactation, or on Sundays. It was believed that if couples did not obey these rules, they would have a deformed child.
Fostering children was another way that parents could get rid of their children. Children born of wealthy families were given to wet-nurses to be taken care of until they were old enough to take care of themselves. After this, they were then able to go back to their families. Wealthy parents also send their children away to be apprentices. Some parents can choose to stay in touch with their children and even visit them at the foster home. However, there are cases where parents never see or go back to their child again.
Sadly, parents also used infanticide as a way to dispose their children. Killing of infants was practiced and accepted as a way for them to dispose their unwanted or deformed child. Back then, killing newborns was accepted as a way to limit family size. Defective children were also killed in fear of it being hereditary and the belief that the child is the work of the devil or what we know as