My early childhood prepared me to be a social psychologist. I grew up in a South Bronx ghetto in a very poor family. From Sicilian origin I was the first person in my family to complete high school let alone go to college.

I don't know much about only children. I was the middle one of three and if ever I was alone with mum and dad it was a rare moment.

At the moment of childbirth every woman has the same aura of isolation as though she were abandoned alone.

Woman must have her freedom the fundamental freedom of choosing whether or not she will be a mother and how many children she will have. Regardless of what man's attitude may be that problem is hers - and before it can be his it is hers alone.

I made some friends at Listerine and they taught me a little bit about oral care. That half of adults suffer from oral disease that the number one chronic disease among children is oral disease that we're only taking care of 25% of our mouths when brushing alone and there are more germs in your mouth than there are people on the planet.

No one chooses to raise children alone.

As a child I had to get up early for school or work. I'd get ready by myself. I'd set my alarm to wake me up very early in the morning and be off to work the family driver driving me every morning. I did it alone my parents never coming in to wake me up.

As a child I wanted only two things - to be left alone to read my library books and to get away from my provincial hometown and go to London to be a writer. And I always knew that when I got there I wanted to make loads of money.

There is no end to the violations committed by children on children quietly talking alone.

I thought about how we need to make children feel that there are times in their lives when they need to be alone and quiet and to be able to accept their aloneness.