Соціологія дитинства як об’єкт соціологічних досліджень

The necessity to form a new trend in sociology, namely the sociology of childness, is considered. The author substantiates the methodological-theoretic principles of the trend and introduces a new paradigm which concerns the development of children under conditions of the transformation of Ukraine’s society and is based on a new philosophy of the perception of a child starting from the prenatal period. A certain attention is paid to a modernization of the educational system and to the social responsibility and the mission of parents.