What is the origin of Children should be seen and not heard?

Answer 1

The original, somewhat sexist meaning (from the 15th century) is that it was young ladies who should demonstrate their good breeding -- and by extension, marriageable qualities -- by dressing well, acting politely, and not speaking except when being directly spoken to.

These days however, after listening to your average five-year-old (of either gender) whining, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" over and over again, you can probably figure out for yourself how and why the meaning has shifted: that a well-behaved child stays where his parents or caregivers can keep an eye on him (be seen) without constantly annoying them with his interruptions or demands (not heard).

Answer 2

MeaningLiteral meaning. OriginIn the original form of this proverb it was specifically young women who were expected to keep quiet. This opinion is recorded in the 15th century collections of homilies written by an Augustinian clergyma called [John] Mirk's Festial, circa 1450:

Hyt ys old Englysch sawe: A mayde schuld be seen, but not herd.

A 'sawe', or 'saw' as we would spell it now, was a mediaeval term for saying or proverb. It has the same root as the words 'say' and 'saga'.

While the expression was aimed at women, the Old English names denoting gender are now somewhat altered. A 'mayde' was normally a young female, usually unmarried, although it was also used to denote celibate men. Girls however, could be of either sex, the term simply meaning young child.

Answer 3

In the original form of this proverb it was specifically young women who were expected to keep quiet. This opinion is recorded in the 15th century collections of homilies written by an Augustinian clergyma called [John]Mirk's Festial, circa 1450

Answer 4

This is an old axiom from a time in which children were not the focus of the family. The patriarch (father) was. This meant that Daddy got the biggest piece of meat (after all, he was doing the hard manual labor to earn the family food), that you didn't sit in Daddy's chair and that you didn't bother Daddy when he came home from a hard day's work. That meant, kids, keep your mouths shut.

Attitudes (in the West, anyway) gradually (then, not so gradually) changed. We started challenging the hierarchal nature of the structures of family, business culture, gender dynamics and age-based social conventions. We started being concerned with the feelings of others, in particular children.

We now live in a time of renewed imbalance. This time the danger is a culture of placating those who lack wisdom and experience. Placating them ensures that they will develop neither.