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 have chosen to look at these two theorists as though, 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 respects differ from my concepts. My concept of childhood is influenced by personal experience and my parents' opinions. I believe my concept 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 rural Victoria. My mother is a socialist and a feminist and I think these beliefs informed her decisions about how to treat her children, choosing to treat us as capable individuals and allowing us to make, or at least have input into, decisions about our bodies, our our life. extracurricular activities and our life in general. When I reflect 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. Wesley and Locke are both products of their time and their thinking represents this. Wesley's notions were heavily influenced by his mother (Cleverly & Phillips 1986 p.29) and his theories on how to raise children appear to stem from the belief that children are born with natural diseases that 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 doctor and philosopher at the center of paper... of his own senses, playing with "pretty playthings" and "glittering toys" (Cleverly & Phillips 1986 p.29) as they would encourage their love of the world and imagination . Locke (1889 p.88) suggests that children should be encouraged to play and that through play they can be taught. Wesley (Cleverly & Phillips 1986 p.30) believed that children should not be allowed to play at any time as 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 reflection and understanding of those experiences shape us. I think part of childhood is learning through experiences and exploring through play and that when you are able to reflect on those, learn from them and use them to make rational, logical decisions, childhood is starting to end..