Insensitive Research ? Video #11

Research is research....no? If it's valid and reliable, it should be quotable....right? Does it also need to be "sensitive" to its readership?

The diversity of the new American family means that less than half of U.S. families are now headed by a married couple. I was shocked when my publisher required me to remove this irrefutable research finding: "The best environment in which to raise children is two biological parents in a low conflict marriage."

He felt that since most American families are no longer headed by married couples, I needed to be sensitive to the family size needs of the majority of my potential readers. And so I removed that research finding from the final draft of Creating Your Perfect Family Size.

Rutgers Daily Targum Cites Falling U.S. Birthrate

What I liked best about my interview with contributing writer Rebecca Welsh, was the rapid fire nature of her questions. She had prepared what seemed like 20 questions, each one expanding on the previous and in sequence. I remember reading the Targum regularly during my 13 year stint at the Rutgers PhD in Social Work program.

Here is the quote from PR Web that caught Rebecca's attention: “Splendid” may seem like a strange reaction to the falling U.S. Birthrate caused by this recession, but that is precisely Dr. Alan Singer’s reaction. “I’m not happy there are less babies,” insists Singer, “I am happy that parents are making careful family size decisions in tough economic times.”

Here is the link for Rebecca's excellent article.

"The Price of Progeny" Superbly Connects Family Size With Family Well Being

Robin Schwartz is not only a talented TV anchor for Fox in Detroit, she is also a skilled free-lance writer for Red Thread, which is the monthly magazine of the Detroit Jewish News.

Click here to read her excellent piece on Family Size Decisions which cites my book.

She brings a deeply personal perspective to the discussion of family size decisions. Click here to watch her own family struggle with infertility that won her a well-deserved Emmy award. She spent long hours on the interview, writing, and editing of this essay. Then the Red Thread graphics department spun their magic and the end result is a superb article....THANK YOU Robin!

Hometown Miami CBS Segment is Unique

Of the 18 book-related TV segments that I did this summer…..Miami, which is where I was born and raised, was both the cutest and most scientific. Strange combo?

You’ll see when you watch the clip (CLICK HERE) how adorable these infants-with-Moms are that CBS4 anchor Ms. Cynthia Demos was able to assemble on a rainy August afternoon in Coral Gables.

And I really admire Cynthia’s use of scientific design. Earlier in the day before I arrived for the taping, she interviewed each mother and asked about their family size intentions. She then interviewed me about my book and each mother listened as I described the family size guidance that I give to couples. She then went back to each mother and asked about their family size intentions again. Some Moms changed their statements and wanted to give it more thought.

It was a very rewarding experience for both me and my middle daughter, who is completing her Doctoral degree in Psychology and accompanied me to South Florida for the segment.

Fox & Friends on a Hot Summer Day

Fox & Friends Weekend segment - July 24, 2011

The Right Number of Kids for You

Author creates your perfect family size



On the Friday before my F & F segment, I was driving across Staten Island, and my car’s outside temperature showed 113 degrees. I never saw a number like that on a car, not even in San Antonio last month. All day Friday, I was hoping that Fox wouldn’t pre-empt my segment because of global warming and have Al Gore sitting on that couch at F & F Weekend saying……”See!”

The original air time was 6:45 am as of one week ago. When I suggested to the producer, that young couples who will benefit most from the segment, won’t even be smelling their first cup of coffee at that hour, she agreed and moved it to 8am and then 9:45am.

Upon arrival at their 6th Ave studio, I was sent to make-up. Did anyone care to explain air-brushing to me? As I left make-up, the woman commented, “First time I ever saw someone hold their breath for an entire air-brushing”.

Bonus: Watching the segment later in the day……I noticed the book image that Fox used actually looks like a hard-cover book. There are no hardcovers to be sure; my book is only available in paperback. Now there’s the magic of air-brushing!