Childhood had less freedom and joy than we sentimentally attribute to it.是什么意思？

Childhood had less freedom and joy than we sentimentally attribute to it.

童年并非像我们现在一厢情愿所认为的那样自在快乐。

childhood

n. 童年，儿童时代，早期；

例句
I have been an asthmatic from childhood and was never able to play any sports.
我从小就患有气喘病，参加不了任何体育活动。

had

v. 有（ have的过去式和过去分词 ），（亲属关系中）接受，拿，买到；

例句
He claimed that his parents had abandoned him...
他声称父母遗弃了他。

less

adj. 较少的（little的比较级），较小的，较次的，较劣的，较不重要的；adv. 较少地，较小地；prep. 减去，少掉，不足；n. 较少，较小；

例句
The system is failing most disastrously among less academic children.
这种制度对学习不太好的孩子效果最差。

freedom

n. 自由，自主，直率，特权，特许，自由权；

例句
The US Constitution guarantees free speech, freedom of assembly and equal protection...
美国宪法保证言论自由、集会自由和受到平等保护的权利。

and

conj. 和，与，而且，于是，然后，因此；

例句
I spend a lot on expensive jewelry and clothing...
我花很多钱购买昂贵的首饰和衣服。

joy

n. 高兴，喜悦，喜悦，成功；

例句
She had given him the only joy his arid life had ever known.
她为他枯燥无味的生活带来了从未有过的乐趣。

than

conj. 比（用于比较级），宁愿…而不愿，除…以外，一…就；prep. 超过，比；

例句
...more than a thousand acres of land.
1,000多英亩地

we

pron. 我们，咱们，笔者，本人，朕，人们；

例句
...expensive make-up that we saw being advertised by a beautiful model...
我们所见的由一位漂亮模特代言的昂贵化妆品

sentimentally

adv. 富情感地；

例句
Childhood had less freedom and joy than we sentimentally attribute to it.
童年并非像我们现在一厢情愿所认为的那样自在快乐。

attribute

vt. 认为…是，把…归于，把…品质归于某人，认为某事[物]属于某人[物]；

例句
Women tend to attribute their success to external causes such as luck.
女性倾向于将她们的成功归因于外部因素，比如运气。

to

prep. 向，朝着，到，关于，属于；adv. 朝一个方向的，到某种状态，关闭；

例句
I suggest you leave it to an expert...
我建议你把它留给专家来解决。

it

pron. 它，他，正好是所需的，事实[情况]；n. <美俚>傻瓜，笨蛋，<俚>绝妙的人，理想的东西，登峰造极；

例句
I suggest you leave it to an expert...
我建议你把它留给专家来解决。