Beyond Mothers and Children: Finding the Family in Pediatric Psychology

Pediatric psychologists think developmentally. To understand where our field is now and where we are heading, we must be aware of where we have been. The enormous change in the American experience of childhood in this century is perhaps best illustrated by the following true story. A few years ago Dr. John Kennell, a pediatrician best known to psychologists for his work with Dr. Marshall Klaus on parent-infant bonding (Klaus & Kennell, 1976), related this conversation he had with his 6-year-old grandson: “What was your favorite video game when you were my age, Grandpa?” “When I was your age, there were no video games,” Dr. Kennell replied. The child considered this for a moment, then asked, “Well, what was your favorite TV program when you were my age?” “When I was your age, there was no TV,” came the reply. There was a pause as the child digested this idea, then he asked, “When you were a little boy, was there fruit?”