The Last Parenting Icon: Dr. T. Berry Brazelton

By Deirdre Wilson

After More than 50 Years, Dr. T. Berry Brazelton Is Still a Strong, Reassuring Advocate for Parents

When T. Berry Brazelton talks about babies – about holding newborns in the palm of his hand, gazing into their eyes and watching them take in the world – his expressions alone give you goose bumps.

When he declares that the quality of most childcare in this country is poor or that today’s parents work hard but the government doesn’t when it comes to supporting them, you find yourself nodding vigorously. These are your frustrations, too.

And when he tells of approaching a mother in a supermarket who is furious with her toddler – reducing her to tears of relief with his gentle observation, “Parenting is so hard, isn’t it?” – you well up inside. You recognize yourself.

At age 91, Dr. Brazelton is still one of the nation’s favorite pediatricians, a leading child-development expert, and one who can dispense reassuring, commonsense advice to parents in times of stress, change and chaos.

He confesses to being amazed that, after addressing New York City parents in the days after the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks, members of the audience streamed down the aisle to give him a hug or a kiss. But it shouldn’t be so surprising. The Texas-born pediatrician is the last of only a handful of parenting and child-development experts who enjoyed the loyalty of a nation of parents in the 20th century.

Like his predecessor, the late Benjamin Spock, Brazelton is an icon, the likes of which we may never see again in a world divided into professional specialization and niches. Brazelton can speak as easily about a toddler’s internal struggle with learning to walk as he can about a mother’s difficulties in the workplace.

And, unlike other parenting or child-development experts, Brazelton has changed with the times. His advocacy has accommodated the reality of dual-working parents, while others in the field, including noted British parenting expert Penelope Leach, have chastised them, urging at least one of them to stay home with the kids.