Being the mother of a single child myself, I know how disheartening it can be when people tell you that the only way to make sure your “one and only” is not spoiled is to have another child. It seems to be the answer to every crippling instance of disobedience, rudeness, and impatience he exhibits.
“Have another child lah, then you won’t bother so much about this one that he always gets his way,” I have often been told. Reading Xinran Xue’s latest book seals the deal for me. The internationally renowned Chinese-British journalist discusses the effects of China’s one child policy on those born after 1970, exposing the psyches, value systems, and consciousness of these only children – sometimes dragging her readers to the depths of sorrow along the way, thanks to how she listens to and writes about people empathetically.