American and Western European culture today is very child centric. Taking note of the myriad products advertised for children and their parents, as well as the countless “how to” advice in all types of media on how to wean, feed, sleep train, potty train, dress, educate, discipline, speak to, and regard children, it is apparent that modern Western children are very much atop a hypothetical pedestal. Perceptions and treatment of children affects economies, healthcare systems, educational practices, politics, the arts and nearly all facets of life. In this literature review, these subjects are addressed to understand how children and the concept of childhood contributed to the social structure of people in Western Europe during the Medieval and Renaissance Eras and how that has changed in modernity. With the premise that, by understanding our past can we better prepare for our future, each of the aforementioned issues from weaning to politics matters. Examining historical research on childhood, including primary art and literary sources, clarifies known trends and brings to light new concepts. Claims famously made by Philippe Ariès in the 1960’s and 70’s that childhood as we understand it did not exist in the Middle Ages have since been challenged by contemporary historians and cultural anthropologists. These varying notions invite comparisons and challenges of long-lasting assumptions as well as new suppositions.