Benjamin Spock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Benjamin Spock
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Spock in 1976
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Benjamin McLane Spock
May 2, 1903 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Died | March 15, 1998 (aged 94) San Diego, California, U.S.
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| Education | Yale University (BA) Columbia University (MD) |
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| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Marjorie Spock (sister) |
| Awards | E. Mead Johnson Award (1948) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Pediatrics, Psychoanalysis |
| Institutions | Mayo Clinic 1947–1951 University of Pittsburgh 1951–1955 Case Western Reserve University 1955–1967 |
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Benjamin McLane Spock (May 2, 1903 – March 15, 1998) was an American pediatrician, a doctor who specializes in children's health. He was also a political activist who worked for social change. His book Baby and Child Care (1946) is one of the best-selling books ever. It sold 500,000 copies in its first six months and 50 million by the time he died in 1998.
The main idea of his book for parents was that they "know more than you think you do." Dr. Spock's advice changed how parents raised their children in the United States. He is seen as one of the most famous and important Americans of the 20th century.
Dr. Spock was the first pediatrician to study psychoanalysis, which is a way to understand how people's minds work. He used this to better understand children's needs and how families interact. His ideas helped many generations of parents be more loving and flexible with their children. He encouraged treating children as unique individuals.
However, some experts thought his ideas were not always based on enough scientific studies. Later in his life, Dr. Spock became an activist against the Vietnam War. He even ran for President of the United States in 1972. He wanted to set a limit on how much people could earn and bring all American troops home from other countries. At the time, some people criticized his books, saying they made children too spoiled. Dr. Spock disagreed with this.
He also won an Olympic gold medal in rowing in 1924 while he was a student at Yale University.
Contents
Early Life and Education
| Medal record | ||
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Representing the  United States |
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| Gold | 1924 Paris | Eight |
Benjamin McLane Spock was born on May 2, 1903, in New Haven, Connecticut. His parents were Benjamin Ives Spock and Mildred Louise (Stoughton) Spock. He was one of six children. His younger sister, Marjorie Spock, became a writer who cared about the environment.
Like his father, Benjamin Spock went to Phillips Andover Academy and Yale University. He studied literature and history at Yale. He was tall, at 6 feet 4 inches, and was very active in college rowing. He became part of the Olympic rowing team (Men's Eights) that won a gold medal at the 1924 games in Paris.
He studied medicine at the Yale School of Medicine for two years. Then he moved to Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons. He graduated first in his class in 1929. Around that time, he married Jane Cheney.
Personal Life
Jane Cheney married Benjamin Spock in 1927. She helped him research and write Dr. Spock's Baby & Child Care. This book was first published in 1946. It has sold over 50 million copies and has been translated into 42 languages.
Jane Cheney Spock was a strong supporter of civil liberties, which are basic rights and freedoms. She was also a mother to their two sons. She was involved in groups like Americans for Democratic Action and the American Civil Liberties Union. Jane and Benjamin Spock divorced in 1976. After their divorce, she started support groups for older divorced women.
In 1976, Dr. Spock married Mary Morgan. They built a home in Arkansas, where Dr. Spock would row every day. Mary quickly joined Dr. Spock in his travels and political work. She was arrested with him many times during peaceful protests. Mary helped Dr. Spock try new things like massage, yoga, and a special diet called a macrobiotic diet. These changes reportedly made him healthier.
Mary also managed his speaking events and helped publish later editions of Baby and Child Care. She continues to publish the book today with a co-author. Dr. Spock often told reporters that Mary "gave me back my youth." Even though there was a 40-year age difference between them, he would joke that they were both 16.
For many years, Dr. Spock lived on his sailboat, the Carapace, in the British Virgin Islands. At age 84, he won third place in a rowing race. He rowed 4 miles (6.4 km) in 2.5 hours. He believed his strength came from his healthy lifestyle and his love for life. He also had another sailboat, Turtle, where he lived in Maine during the summers. He lived on boats for almost 20 years.
In his final years, Dr. Spock needed help to walk. He died in La Jolla, California, on March 15, 1998. His ashes are buried in Rockport, Maine, where he spent his summers.
Dr. Spock's Books and Ideas
In 1946, Dr. Spock published The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care. It quickly became a bestseller. The book's main message to parents was, "you know more than you think you do." By 1998, it had sold over 50 million copies and was translated into 42 languages.
Many sources say Baby and Child Care was one of the best-selling books of the 20th century. Dr. Spock shared ideas about parenting that were new at the time. Before his book, some experts told parents that babies should sleep on a strict schedule. They also said that picking up crying babies would make them cry more. Parents were told not to hug or kiss their children too much.
Dr. Spock, however, encouraged parents to show love and affection to their children. He wanted parents to see each child as a unique person. His books helped bring about big changes in how children were raised.
By the late 1960s, Dr. Spock's strong opposition to the Vietnam War affected his popularity. The 1968 edition of Baby and Child Care sold fewer copies. Later in life, Dr. Spock wrote Dr. Spock on Vietnam. He also co-wrote his life story, Spock on Spock, with Mary Morgan Spock.
In the seventh edition of Baby and Child Care, published shortly after he died, Dr. Spock suggested a big change in children's diets. He recommended that all children switch to a vegan diet (eating only plant-based foods) after age 2. Dr. Spock himself had started an all-plant diet in 1991 after some illnesses. After changing his diet, he lost weight, could walk again, and felt healthier.
The updated book said that children on an all-plant diet might have a lower risk of heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes later in life. Studies show that vegetarian children are often leaner. However, some experts, including his co-author, thought this diet recommendation was too extreme. They worried it might lead to children not getting enough important nutrients unless planned very carefully.
Views on Infant Sleep
In his 1958 book, Dr. Spock advised that babies should not sleep on their backs. He thought that if a baby threw up, they might have trouble breathing if they were on their back. This advice was widely followed by health experts until the 1990s.
However, later studies found that babies sleeping on their stomachs had a much higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). SIDS is the sudden, unexplained death of a baby under one year old. Experts now use this as an example of why health advice should be based on strong scientific evidence. Some researchers believe that if this advice had changed earlier, many infant deaths could have been prevented. Today, doctors recommend that babies sleep on their backs to reduce the risk of SIDS.
Social and Political Activism
In 1962, Dr. Spock joined a group called The Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, also known as SANE. He was very open about his political views and was active in the movement to end the Vietnam War.
In 1968, he and four other people were accused of encouraging young men to avoid joining the military draft. Dr. Spock and three others were found guilty, even though they had never all been in the same room together. He was sentenced to two years in prison, but he never served the time. His case was appealed, and in 1969, a court overturned his conviction.
Dr. Spock also signed a pledge to refuse to pay taxes as a protest against the Vietnam War. He was arrested for his involvement in anti-war protests. These individuals became known as the Boston Five.
In 1968, the American Humanist Association named Dr. Spock "Humanist of the Year." In 1969, he was a main speaker at a large march called the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam.
In the 1972 United States presidential election, Dr. Spock ran for president as the candidate for the People's Party. His platform included ideas like free medical care for everyone, a guaranteed minimum income for families, and an end to American military involvement in other countries. He also wanted all American troops to leave foreign countries immediately. In the 1970s and 1980s, Dr. Spock continued to protest and give speeches against nuclear weapons and cuts to social programs.
In 1976, Dr. Spock was the vice-presidential candidate for the People's Party and the Peace and Freedom Party. He ran alongside Margaret Wright.
Conservative Criticism
Some people criticized Dr. Spock, especially during the 1960s and 1970s. A popular preacher named Norman Vincent Peale blamed Dr. Spock's books for what he saw as a lack of discipline in young people. Vice President Spiro Agnew also blamed Dr. Spock for making young people too "permissive," meaning too easily allowed to do what they wanted. These ideas were popular with some adults who disliked the rebellious youth of that time. They even called them the "Spock generation."
However, Dr. Spock's supporters said these criticisms were unfair. They pointed out that Dr. Spock had never actually told parents to be overly permissive. Dr. Spock himself said that these attacks only started after he spoke out against the Vietnam War. He believed these criticisms were politically motivated attacks against him. He addressed these accusations in his 1994 book, Rebuilding American Family Values: A Better World for Our Children.
Family Life
Dr. Spock had two children, Michael and John. Michael used to be the director of the Boston Children's Museum. John owns a construction company. Dr. Spock's grandson, Peter, who was Michael's son, passed away in 1983 at age 22. He had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Olympic Success
In 1924, while he was a student at Yale, Dr. Spock was part of the all-Yale Men's eight rowing team. They competed at the Paris Olympics on the Seine river. Their team, captained by James Stillman Rockefeller, won the gold medal.
Books by Benjamin Spock
- Baby and Child Care (1946, with many updates)
- A Baby's First Year (1954)
- Feeding Your Baby and Child (1955)
- Dr. Spock Talks With Mothers (1961)
- Problems of Parents (1962)
- Caring for Your Disabled Child (1965)
- Dr. Spock on Vietnam (1968)
- Decent and Indecent (1970)
- A Teenager's Guide to Life and Love (1970)
- Raising Children in a Difficult Time (1974)
- Spock on Parenting (1988)
- Spock on Spock: a Memoir of Growing Up With the Century (1989)
- A Better World for Our Children (1994)
- Dr. Spock's the School Years: The Emotional and Social Development of Children 01 Edition (2001)
Images for kids
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Dr. Spock's signature
See also
In Spanish: Benjamin Spock para niños
- Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers)
