In class last week, we discussed the history of the Early Modern City, and how it influenced family life. Most families would live in the country, and the young children would make their way to the cities, usually as a way to try and get rich fast. Women ended up working as prostitutes, while the men usually ended up finding themselves in debauchery. The city dwellers usually found themselves sicker and dead earlier as well.
Man could not find the perfect balance until centuries later, with the advent of the suburbs. Give me the suburbs any day! You are close to the city to take advantage of all it has to offer, but are not living in the city and thus avoiding all the problems it represents, while not living in total isolation that the country was either.