Where Have All the Singletons Gone?

In York City's Upper East Side there were 3,707 twin births in 1995; there were 4,153 in 2003; and there were 4,655 in 2004. Triplet births have also risen, from 60 in 1995 to 299 in 2004. Wikipedia - Twins

Men may be able to run the mile in less than four minutes and open stuck pickle jars with a twist of the wrist, but for all our physical prowess, we cannot carry new life within us and bring it into the world. To suggest that we do is a slap in the face of women. Mark Galli - "We Are Not Pregnant"

My little singleton

When we do things in this city, we do them well. Or so we say to the likes of people like Jeff.

Jeff is one of my fans. I think he lives in Ohio or maybe it is Kansas. No doubt he'll write and tell me.

Jeff is one of those people who don't like New York for no other reason than it is New York. Normally I wouldn't bother with the likes of Jeff but there's something endearing about him - the childish way he likes to divide Americans into opposing camps. I suspect he is a Tea Party person.

But back to New York.

New York women appear to be taking efficiency to a new level. The reproductive level. Balancing career, marriage and parenthood, and believing that only children are lonely children, they have started to use science to have instant families.

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) has boosted the number of multiple births. Its major use has been to help otherwise infertile couples to conceive children, but I suspect it is now being used to provide couples with instant families.

Whereas I produced two children over a period of five years, women can now produce all the children they want in one go.

Walking in my neighborhood (Upper East Side) it is rare to see a nanny pushing a singleton stroller. Twin and triple strollers are the norm.

I wonder, is their a discount for having more than one child in childcare?

As well as the satisfaction - immediate gratification - of having all the kids arrive in the world at once - there is the advantage of having a single maternity leave in one's life. And of course having only one pregnancy.

Talking about pregnancy, does anyone else feel bemused when they hear couples say, "We are pregnant"? Now it is all very well to involve the man in child-getting and child-rearing, but it is a fact that has to be accepted, that it is women who incubate babies. I really cannot accept this new "we are pregnant thing".

Imagine if women started linguistically sharing in events dominated by men.

Imagine Mrs (Tino) Martinez saying "We hit a game-tying home run."

Or Mrs Smith saying "We are donating our sperm."

Or Mrs Cohen saying "We are a rabbi."

And on that note,

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