There's no two ways about it, they're double the delight

DOUBLE TROUBLE FOR A FIRST TIME DAD OF TWINS

- RICHARD IRVINE

‘‘I don't know how you can have two, I struggle with one,’’ said my pal at a child's birthday party.

Initially, I thought he was referring to my consumption of cupcakes from the buffet, but that was just personal guilt surfacing, especially since the cover was still on them.

In fact, he meant ‘two’ children, and I realised how many people at the party had one child.

A little chat with Al confirmed things had changed, and if we go back to a time of disco, flares, and the moustache, 18% of families had one child, whereas now it's 45% with 41% having two.

My digital pal also informed me of a wider debate regarding a massive demographic shift, an ageing population and a struggling economy trying to fund millions of pensions from a few working 20-year-olds, managed by a robot god in the year 2040, but we'll keep it light.