Dr. Benjamin Spock’s (1903–1998) Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care (1946), which sold fifty million copies between its publication and Spock’s death in 1998, placed the same emphasis on self-esteem. Spock, a devotee of the New Left, had told parents to put aside the rigidity of old-school parenting, which could instill insecurity and anxiety. Instead, parents should follow their instincts and refrain from criticizing their children.
