In the 1960s, it was Dr. Spock. In the 1980s, it was Dr. T. Berry Brazelton. In 2026, it's Dr. Becky Kennedy, AKA Dr. Becky.

You can tell Dr. Becky-kids from miles away, which is really the best distance to deal with them.

It could be the grandchild who smears your face with peanut butter, or the child of a friend who responds to your expensive birthday gift by smashing it with a hammer, or even your child — the little angel who transforms into a little monster when denied their basic human right to watch "Bluey" on their iPad 26 hours a day. If they are always acting up, you can bet there's someone in the family who is down with the "gentle parenting" philosophy of Dr. Becky.

I don't want to criticize Dr. Becky. Every generation thinks the next generation knows bupkis about raising children. Abraham Lincoln was a great president, but even his parents had issues — I'm sure — about how Abe and Mary were raising Robert Todd.

"That kid needs discipline," Honest Abe's parents surely must have said after a visit. "He's coo-coo for Cocoa-Puffs." (Of course, Cocoa Puffs was not invented back then. In the 1840s, everyone ate Cap'n Crunch.)

While a workplace humor columnist may lack the child-raising cred required to comment on the best-selling author of "Good Inside," fairness demands that I comment on the application of Dr. Becky's parenting philosophy to workplace situations. This is exactly what happened when leadership guru Kim Scott welcomed the pediatrician to her "Radical Candor" podcast, where they discussed "the surprising overlap between raising a family and running a team."

"The colleague who snaps at you in a meeting and the toddler melting down in the grocery store are running the same program," Kim Scott observes. "Neither is a fair fight to win with a sharper comeback."

Surprising? Not to you, I'm sure. No one who has spent more than a day in the modern workplace will deny that the tantrums of the temperamental toddlers with whom you work are more appropriate to the playground than the workplace.

As the only grown-up in the conference room, you are left with a serious question. How can you best adopt the philosophy of Dr. Becky in the workplace? Turn off "Bluey" and let's discuss.

Dr. Becky's core move is to "treat the outburst as an emotional fire, not a personal attack." Instead of matching or escalating bad behavior, the proper response is to "get curious about what is underneath instead, and it burns itself out."

If you find it difficult to "get underneath" the temper tantrums of egomaniacal managers who get paid 10 times more than you do — or than they deserve — a good Dr. Becky style response might be "I realize you have a difficult life outside the office, what with the high costs of maintaining a private pickleball court and deciding whether to vacation in Anguilla or Antarctica, but firing 25% of the team will not make the situation any better."

Another core Dr. Becky move is to balance negative comments with a soupcon of positivity. For example, after telling a co-worker that their monumental incompetence and fundamental laziness hurt the entire team, be sure to add something positive, like "You do keep your desk very organized."

Should the impossible occur and you make a mistake at work, remember Dr. Becky's mantra of "repair builds more trust than perfection." In an argument with a team member, this means taking a modicum of blame for yourself. Two percent should be more than adequate.

But don't use the occasion of someone else's screw-up to disparage them for their 98% share of the blame. Adopt Dr. Beck's attitude of "'I know you can do better' said from a place of belief, not blame."

You would not fire your child for spilling grape juice on your new Brunello Cucinelli trousers. Or maybe you would. But with a team member, you want to keep a positive relationship, especially if they are doing work that otherwise would fall to you. That's why you want to end every argument on a positive note, like "I think we've all learned something from this experience. I know I've learned that you're an idiot."

Treating your co-workers like misbehaving children will pay off. Think how proud you will be as they grow up and leave the nest, leaving you to grow old and cranky — or should I say, even older and crankier.

Is it possible? Ask Dr. Becky.

Bob Goldman was an advertising executive at a Fortune 500 company. He offers a virtual shoulder to cry on at [email protected]. To find out more about Bob Goldman and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Kelli McClintock at Unsplash