The Ezzo's

[sudia <sudia@xxxxxxxxx>]

As they say in the country, 'what goes around, comes around!'  I make
no defense of the Ezzo's and their particular approach to child
rearing.  But possibly someone else is old enough to recall that the
very latest 'scientific child rearing' of the 1920's was promulgated by
John B. Watson, behaviorist psychologist,  who insisted that children
should not be spoiled by feeding of demand.  They should be fed only
every four hours, and allowed to cry themselves to sleep.  Also, they
should be bottle fed so you would know that they were receiving proper
nutrition.  Breast milk was an unknown quantity, and might not be
nutritious enough. I don't recall that he advocated physical discipline,
but I think he did tie a child's hands to their sides to prevent
masturbation.
	His book was published in 1919.  A 1951 article by Clark Vincent,
"Trends in Infant Care Ideas" Child Development, (22:199-210), provides
a better perspective.  This article shows that a shift in attitudes
toward both breast feeding and schedules occurred in the later 1920's
after Watson's influence waned.  In 1890 breast feeding was advised
mainly to avert infant mortality but by 1949 it was advised mainly to
advance the psychological health of the infant.  In 1890 the emphasis
was on loose schedules, in 1920 it had swung to tight, regular
schedules, and by 1949 to self-regulation.   
	If we keep in mind that all of these were the absolutely right thing to
do at the particular time it may increase our appreciation of the
infant's ability to develop normally in spite of his/her parents or
their doctors and child development specialists.  

Cecelia E. Sudia
Washington, DC
csudia@erols.com