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What Is Special about Children?

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Abstract

For those who remember what it was like to be a child, answering the question, “What is special about children?” might seem easy. Childhood is a period of time in one’s life that seems particularly distinct from others. It is a period of discovery, growth, adventure, novelty, challenges, and often fear. We often describe what happens during childhood as “growing up” and the implication is that it is during this time that we become the people we are supposed to be as adults. Yet, even this relatively innocuous statement is laden with disagreement. For, if childhood is the period of time that we become ourselves, what are we when we are children? Are children persons proper or not yet formed adult humans? What are children?

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Notes

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© 2016 Mhairi Cowden

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Cowden, M. (2016). What Is Special about Children?. In: Children’s Rights. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137492296_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137492296_2

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-55585-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-49229-6

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