Childhood
When a spartan child was born, soldiers would come to the house of the child and bathe it in whine. If the child was found weak, it would put on the moutainside to be eaten by wolves, or raised as a slave. The mother did not control what happened to the child, the decision was up to the city state. Nurses took primary care of the infants and never coddled it. At the age of seven, the child was taken from the parents. They were brought to a dormitory where they were treated to harsh conditions, (lack of food, sleep, endurance of pain.) They learned of stories of bravery and triumph. One famous one being about a boy who captured a live fox and intended to eat it. Although boys were encouraged to scrounge for food, they were punished if caught. The boy noticed some Spartan soldiers coming, and hid the fox beneath his shirt. When the soldiers confronted him, he allowed the fox to chew into his stomach rather than confess, and showed no sign of pain in his body or face. This was the Spartan way. At around age 20, they went through a rigorous test to become soldier citizens. If they failed the test, they never became citizens, but the lowly middle class.