By the 1920s, the parenting advice industry was really revving up. The style du jour? Authoritarian parenting. In other words, "Do as you're told or else." The hot book? Psychological Care of Infant and Child, by American psychologist John B. Watson. He advised strongly against mothers giving their children too much love. Watson says, "Never hug and kiss [children], never let them sit in your lap. If you must, kiss them once on the forehead when they say good night. Shake hands with them in the morning ... Try it out."
He actually proposed that we halt reproduction for 20 years to give us time to gather data and establish the most effective child-rearing process. A real softy, right? Not to be outdone, though, by Sir Frederick Truby King, the Kiwi health reformer and poster child for enforcement parenting. He gave the sound advice to toughen children up by leaving them out in the garden, and only allowing for ten minutes of cuddling time a day, max.
Women, again, were not just mothers, they were working mothers. And not in the same way that the women of the 1900s were. They were seeking employment outside of the home. Some were living independently for the first time in their lives, and having fewer children.
