When my parents embarked on parenthood in 1950, Dr. Benjamin Spock was a household name. By the second-through-fourth kid, I doubt they opened his by-then tattered book, “Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care,” which is only to say they had it memorized. That, and the fact that my oldest brother was a real challenge.
Spock’s child-rearing manual was a bestseller for decades, second only to the Bible, selling more than 50 million copies in 49 languages.
Among his gems:
There’s no such thing as loving a baby too much. Babies don’t know how to read schedules. And let the baby cry — within reason.
Spock took an interest in pediatrics because he believed those at the time focused too much on the physical side of child development and not their mental development, so he studied psychiatry as well.
He was a frequent advice columnist for women’s magazines of the day, including Ladies Home Journal and Redbook, on topics such as childcare and parenting.
During the 1970s, Spock became increasingly engaged in politics, including protesting the Vietnam War.
Those activities prompted a cultural backlash, with opponents accusing Spock of having created a culture of “permissiveness” by sparing the rod.
Spock died in 1998 at age 94, never really retiring from medicine. Today, his advice on how to create a healthy and well-balanced family is just as relevant as ever.
I WOULD venture that Dr. Anthony Fauci will go down in the history books for his medical advice during this COVID-19 pandemic.
As the country’s top infectious disease expert, his manner is direct, warm, and commonsense. He has not shied away from contradicting his superiors in how to guard against the spread of the virus. He is a role model for what to do.
At every public appearance he’s seen wearing a face mask, keeping his distance, and encouraging others to do the same.
On Tuesday, he was televised receiving a vaccine against the virus in an effort to promote widespread inoculations.
And while he is not advocating we “cancel Christmas,” he is asking that we celebrate it safely, which, as such, requires an element of sacrifice in terms of not gathering in large groups or having grandma or the kids come home for the holidays.
Don’t expand your “bubbles” of contacts, he advised.
