There's been a common theme swirling throughout the culture wars: from gun policy,Slabu to drag bans, to talking about race - the innocence of children is always at the center of discussion.

This week, we're exploring the ideas and systems around childhood. We learn why we first drew the line between child and adult, why the line is so jagged and what implications this has on our lives today. We hear from a few kids themselves, then host Brittany Luse is joined by historian Jules Gill-Peterson and author Sophie Lewis. Last, Brittany chats with children's therapist Gerri Cadet Mareus about cultivating kids' autonomy by turning conflicts at home into opportunities to work together.

This episode was produced by Liam McBain. It was edited by Jessica Placzek. We had fact checking help from Susie Cummings. Engineering support came from Neil Tevault and Gilly Moon. Our executive producer is Veralyn Williams. Our VP of programming is Yolanda Sangweni and our senior VP of programming is Anya Grundmann.