Benjamin Spock

:"Dr. Spock" redirects here. For the Star Trek character, see Mr. Spock.

Book

In 1946 Spock published his book The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, which became a bestseller. By 1998, it had sold more than 50 million copies, more than any book besides the Bible. It has been translated into 39 languages. Later, he wrote three more books about parenting.

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Spock advocated ideas about parenting that were, at the time, considered out of the mainstream, and over time, his books helped to bring about a drastic change in the opinions of those who considered themselves to be the experts. Previously, experts had told parents that babies needed to learn to sleep on a regular schedule, and that picking them up and holding them whenever they cried would only teach them to cry more and not to sleep through the night. They were told to feed their children on a regular schedule, and that they should not pick them up, kiss them, or hug them, because that would not prepare them to be strong and independent individuals in a harsh world. Spock encouraged parents to see their children as individuals, and not to apply a one-size-fits all philosophy to them.

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Some have seen Spock as the leader in the move toward more permissive parenting in general, and have blamed him for what they saw as the negative results. Norman Vincent Peale claimed in the 1960's that "the U.S. was paying the price of two generations that followed the Dr. Spock baby plan of instant gratification of needs."http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-june98/spock_3-16.html Spock's supporters believed that these criticisms betrayed an ignorance of what Spock had actually written, or a political bias against Spock's left-wing political activities.

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