The groundbreaking American childcare manual urged parents to trust themselves,but was also accused of being the source of postwar ‘permissiveness’Practically speaking, Dr Spock’s compendious Baby and Child Care manual probably had a greater impact on the lives of postwar Americans (and some Britons) than any other title in this list so far. Spock came to shape the baby-boom generation like no other bestseller, and mainly because his book was a bestseller like no other. It has sold more than 50 million copies in print,in 49 languages.
Spocks chapter titles convey both his approach and his pre-feminist perspective: “Watching him grow”; “Hes apt to change his eating habits”; “The father as companion”; “pain with lessons”. Nothing was too trivial to escape Spock’s radar. In his pages, the worried parent could find encourage for virtually every problem. Related: Why we should all pay towards the cost of childcare Related: Penelope Leach denies her new childcare book is an attack on fathers Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com