Quotes from Jennifer Traig

Newbery's other major innovation was product placement. Characters in Newbery publications read and tout other Newbery publications shamelessly.

Siblings are literally, biologically, under your skin from birth. Because some fetal cells stay in the mother's body and are then passed along to further offspring, you're born with genetic material from your older siblings in your body. It, and they, will probably stay with you until you die.

Writing in 1957, Dr. Spock endorsed the process: "This is the way Nature expects human beings to learn child care—from their own childhood.

At home, older siblings may be more likely to be bossy, but in the world, they're not more likely to be boss. Besides that minuscule IQ difference, there's no measurable difference at all. Birth order, then, is about as scientifically predictive as astrological signs, which is to say not at all, except in the case of Scorpios.

As is true in many houses with small children, questions are asked all the time in ours, but these are seldom about big-picture matters. Why is there yogurt on the TV? Why are my car keys in the trash? Where's the front doorknob? Who let a squirrel in the house?

It is—let's be clear—very, very hard. Freud called child-rearing one of the three "impossible professions" (the other two: governing nations and psychoanalysis). To do even a half-assed job is a Sisyphean task. Children get away with things no adult would.

Parents who needed a little chemical help to develop that favorable attitude could turn to pharmaceuticals. As in the Victorian era—the last time mothers were encouraged to do all the child-rearing themselves—drugs again became a popular at-home activity. Enter Miltown and Valium, aka mother's little helper.*

The major fast-food chains all emerged in the 1950s, as did ranch dressing and ranch dressing's best friend, Tater Tots. Despite the name, these were not originally developed as a way to get children to eat more frozen shredded, fried potatoes, but as a way to use up potato shavings left over from the manufacture of other products. But kids loved them, as did pretty much anyone with a mouth.

The 1950s saw the introduction of Sugar Smacks, Sugar Smiles, Sugar Rice Krinkles, Sugar Crisp, Sugar Pops, Sugar Jets, Sugar Stars, Sugar Frosted Flakes, and Corn-Fetti, "a new kind of corn flakes with the magic sugar coat!"* Trix, which we all know is for kids, came on the market containing 46 percent sugar. Sugar Smacks clocked in at 55 percent.

Besides the horror show of the birth itself, twilight sleep had some pretty nasty side effects. It produced babies who were groggy and had poor respiration. It also increased the mother's risk of bleeding out.

This is Pitocin

IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, a more reliable alternative came along, and it is still the most common induction method today. This is Pitocin

Here it's probably worth pointing out that the original meaning of advice was "judgment.

Although inductions have been attempted for thousands of years, in the past, they were usually done because the baby was already dead or because the mother was sick. Now they tend to be done for less pressing reasons, which may include the obstetrician's dinner reservations.* In theory, they're done only when they're best for mother or baby, but the timing of them makes it pretty clear staffing concerns are a factor as well.