ABSTRACT
The movement for the establishment of child labor laws signalled the onset of an era in which children have increasingly been regarded as objects to be protected from the harsher aspects of reality. Recapitulating the findings on the indicants of children’s grasp of elementary economic relationships, there is evidence of a pattern which is both strong and consistent. First graders grasp more than many would no doubt give them credit for, although their “knowledge” very often includes fantasy-based misconceptions and gross oversimplifications. Robert smith and Harold Proshansky considered “difficulty” and “competence” as important criteria employed by children in viewing the world of work. The teacher, the principal, and often the janitor were grouped together, as persons who would be found in schools. Many matched doctors and nurses as persons who work in hospitals, neglecting the questions of what they do or their behaviors vis-a-vis one another.
