Archaeological studies of the Paleolithic record generally neglect to mention or study in depth the children of the culture/period in question. It is important to study children because they can tell us a lot about the culture they lived in and about the adults of that time. Sometimes studying children is problematic because of terminology and other things, but there are some things we are sure of. If we apply this reasoning to the study of Neanderthals, we will be able to learn more about Neanderthal life. We know some things about Neanderthal children, but by studying children we can also learn a lot about Neanderthal adults. Much of what we know about Neanderthals comes from studying their children. If we focused more on children, we might know even more about Neanderthals. Why do we exclude children from the archaeological record? It is difficult to study children because the bones of juveniles are very fragile and often do not last very long or are not in good condition. . they do not fossilize as easily as adult bones (H and D 89) (ruttle 69). Another reason we don't see mention of children in the archaeological record is that perhaps archaeologists aren't looking carefully enough (Shea 212). It is not common to discuss the implications any item might have on children. It is also not kosher to automatically assume that an artifact was used by a child rather than an adult, when most artifacts are assumed to be used by adults (I think maybe) without any proof that this was true. Just like we automatically grant credit. adults rather than children, we also give credit to men rather than women and children. Until recently (at the dawn of gender studies?), women were a side note in history and anthropology studies. (truth?) people haven't thought... middle of paper ... they will develop as adults. children are an essential factor in the continuation of tradition and cultural themes (Ruttle 65).child-education and family planning have some of the most immediate consequences for cultural change and even evolution. (Shea 212)As adults we have difficulty representing children because, having been children ourselves, we claim authority on the subject even though we no longer live as children and see the world through their eyes. Even though we have been children, we cannot assume that we inherently know what it means to be a child (Wilkie 100). Children have their own view of the world. they don't see him like adults, and they don't see him like other children. the world is, at this point, a product of their imagination and all the information they draw from the world using their senses. (Wilkie 100)