The seventeenth century, which in many respects marked the beginning of the modern epoch, saw important changes in key areas of social and economic life. The family was no exception. It was in the 17th century that the old, medieval idea of the family as an offshoot of gens, a network of ties embracing kith and kin, began to evolve to wards the modern model of the family. As the general conditions of life were changing, adults, and especially parents, seemed to show greater concern for the child. As children came to be regarded as valuable members of the family, parents tended to accept more responsibility for the upbringing and education of their offspring than it was the case in the Middle Ages. The general interest in the proper upbringing of the young generation was echoed in contemporary sermons: the clergy spared no time to advise and admonish parents and educators. The Church offered them a model of religious and moral upbringing, which it believed to be indispensable in the formation of a mature human being, capable of shouldering the responsibilities of adult life. While discussing the problems of upbringing contemporary moralists urged parents and tutors to keep an eye on the child’s company, to instil in him the fundamental moral rules and to react to his misbehaviour with due severity. But in the first place parents were told to give their children a good example and to pray for them. It seems that in matters of upbringing the postulates and pastoral practice of the various Christian denominations exhibited a remarkable degree of convergence.