'Speak when you're spoken to', another expression us oldens often say. These were known as moral tales. Children were beaten at school for minor infractions, then beaten again for the same infraction at home. Daily care activities, discipline and communication with children was the woman's job. Detention was given for many misdemeanours, and children were never meant to speak back. But despite the controversy, today - years after his death March 15, 1998 - new parents still follow his advice. Few husbands spent "quality" time with their children or helped around the house. In a corner of the room there is an iron cistern filled with water. You could never leave the table at dinner time without asking permission first. In 1946 Dr. Spock released the now famous parenting tome, Baby and Child Care, which opens with the line, You know more than you think you do, and reassured parents all over the country that disciplining a child wasnt a matter of following the orders of the status quo. They produced films such as High School confidential, Blackboard Jungle, Teen Rebel, The Wild One, Rebel Without a Cause, and more, which fed 1950s teens' rebellious spirit. This hub allows you to take a peek at how one working class mum did it. I always felt I should be coming out with something definite and impressive. Based in Pittsburgh, Erica Loop has been writing education, child development and parenting articles since 2009. // Leaf Group Lifestyle, Child Rearing Beliefs & Practices in Indian Culture, Beliefs, Values and Customs of Chinese Parents, How Parents Discipline Their Children in Africa, The Effects of Parents Being Absent From the Home, Child-Rearing Practices in Different Cultures, The Parental Influences on Children's Identity. Because of this, discipline was harsh and quick, using fear of physical consequences to keep kids on the straight and narrow, with little worry as to how these methods would affect the children as they grew. This gave teachers a lot of discretion. According to a 2017 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 1970, just over 40 percent of American women were employed; by 2015, that number was nearing 60 percent. The strong gender roles of the 1940s . So while you are trusting yourself, remember also to trust your child.. He once knocked me down and threatened me with a stick. At school, the teacher would have a bell made of nickel sitting on her desk, and whenever she rang it, she expected to garner the full attention of the class. Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves. In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, men spent an average of just 2.5 hours on child care and 4 hours on housework on a weekly basis back in 1965. Gallup Vault: 1950s Nostalgia for Corporal Punishment. This new hierarchy of adults meant the principal, not the teacher, started to dole out discipline. Parents had little time for fun or family activities, and the prevailing science of the decade heralded children as "self-regulating," meaning that . 12 Ways to Simplify Family LifeSo You Can Focus on What Matters Most. If a child stepped out of line, so to speak, he would be hit with a ruler, a paddle or a switch, says Shaw, who also noted that the rules for girls seemed to be somewhat different, the punishments slightly less gruesome. Updated date: Mar 27, 2020 7:37 PM EDT. Nowadays, students are often trying to keep their iPhones hidden under their slim desks, hoping the teacher doesn't catch them (or, the teacher is perfectly fine with them texting and doesn't really care). They were also wildly popular and considered just one of those things, which makes you wonder what sort of things were doing to kids today that will horrify those kids grandchildren. 4. We had a copy of it at home and it fascinated us! The only two stories I remember from it now are Naughty Little Suck-a-Thumb and Shock-Headed Peter. From Puritanical subjugation to laissez-faire families, physical punishment to positive discipline, the best method of parenting has long been a debate. /* 160x90,50s60s */ Benjamin Spocks "Baby and Child Care," which was first published in 1946, greatly influenced how children should be raised. If you gave a child a clip round the ear nowadays, they'd probably sue you and put you up in front of the European Equal Rights Committee or something similar! Although 1950s parents saw their teenagers behave in ways that shocked them, such as listening to rock-and-roll music, new risque dance moves, and their overall self-determining and defiant mindset, compared to 21st Century teens, these teens were extraordinarily innocent. Conservative psychologists such as James Dobson encouraged authoritarian parenting styles, and a clear divide was drawn between parents who spank children and non-spanking parents.