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Welcome to the Double X Gab Fest for Thursday, June 13th, the Our Father's Necessary Edition.

I'm Hannah Rosen, editor of Double X, talking to you from the DC studio, and I am joined in New York today by Alison

Benedict the other double X editor. Hi Allison. Hi Hannah. And also the lovely Noreen Malone from

the New Republic. Hi, Noreen. Hey, Hannah. So our three topics today are first. We're going to talk

about Lauren Sandler's excellent new book called One and Only, which argues that we might all be happier if we just had one child. Second, on the occasion of Father's Day, we're going to discuss the sort of obnoxious topic. Do we really need fathers? Just to welcome all the fathers in. And third, the wedding gift, the wedding gift, is a time to get rid of it. That's our third topic. So let's go to her

first. In her new book one and only, author Lauren Sandler, who's going to join us today,

makes the case for why having one child is the best choice. She counters all the usual stereotypes

about only children, that they're selfish, lonely, aloof, unsocialized, can't share their toys

and grow up to be maladjusted adults. She also makes a very good case why, given right now our over-intense parenting culture, having an only child is the best way to stay happy in your marriage. Welcome to the show, Lauren. Thank you. I'm happy to be here. Great. Now, I have to say, it's going to be a tough haul for you because you're kind of fighting an uphill battle in this crowd.

Allison and I both have three children.

Noreen comes from a family of a million children and will surely have a million children herself someday.

So, you know, so let's let's argue about it.

I think your book makes an excellent case.

And maybe I'll just start at the beginning, which is a little egg-headed.

But the work of G. Stanley Hall, he's like always the villain in every child argument.

But I didn't realize you argue that the stereotypes about only children come from this very old and untested place, right?

So can you talk a little bit about what the stereotypes are?

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