In this essay I will discuss my concept of childhood and how it compares to my understanding of the theories and concepts of John Locke and John Wesley . I chose to examine these two theorists because, although they lived in similar times, their theories and concepts about children were influenced by very different factors and therefore differ greatly from each other and, in many ways differ from my own concepts. My conception of childhood is influenced by my personal experience and the opinions of my parents. I believe that my conception of childhood was, in large part, shaped by the way I was raised. My older sister and I were raised by a single mother in a small town in country Victoria. My mother is a socialist and a feminist and I think these beliefs influenced her decisions about how to treat her children, choosing to treat us as capable individuals and allowing us to make, or at least contribute to, decisions concerning our bodies, our activities outside of school and our lives in general. Reflecting on how I view children and childhood, I believe that my view of children as capable, confident and independent, and my belief that childhood should be fun and free, is due to the environment in which I grew up. Both Wesley and Locke are products of their times and their thinking represents it. Wesley's notions were heavily influenced by his mother (Cleverly & Phillips 1986 p.29) and his theories on how to raise children seem to stem from a belief that children are born with natural illnesses which cause them to love themselves more than God (Christian Classics Ethereal Library 2014) and that parents and educators must work with God to save their souls (Wesley Center Online 2011). Locke was a physician and philosopher in the sept... middle of paper ...... their senses by playing with "pretty toys" and "glittering toys" (Cleverly & Phillips 1986 p.29) as this would encourage their love of the world and their imagination. Locke (1889, p. 88) suggests that children should be encouraged to play and that through play they can learn. Wesley (Cleverly & Phillips 1986 p. 30) believed that children should not be allowed to play at any time, because children who played became adults who played. Locke (Cleverly & Phillips 1986 p. 26) believed that our understanding of the world is based on our experiences and that our thinking and understanding of those experiences shapes us. I think part of childhood is learning through experiences and exploring through play and that when you are able to think about it, learn from it and use it to make rational, logical decisions , childhood begins to end..