In the late 1800s, particularly in the years following the Civil War, there was an era of industrial growth that led to a growth of the working class. This growth gave rural families dreams of a better life, so many moved to the city to find stable, reliable employment, only to be disappointed. They found themselves facing jobs requiring long hours, little pay and dangerous working conditions. Due to the terrible wages, even children as young as three were sometimes forced to work and were often injured or even killed. (Lost Childhood: Child Labor During the Industrial Revolution) Even families who did not live in or move to cities had to work long hours on farms, and it was not uncommon for young children to have many chores to help the family. . Mornings usually started around 5 a.m., with mother starting breakfast and father doing whatever grunt work he needed to do to keep the rest of the day running smoothly. The children's tasks were distributed according to gender; while girls prepared meals and performed basic household chores, boys helped their fathers in the field. (B) It made a big difference in the way children developed compared to today. Because of the amount of work children had to do to help their families, many of them did not have much time to play or go to school. In fact, it was not uncommon for children to drop out of school.