First comes Love. Then comes Marriage. Then comes the baby and the baby carriage. Now a days it’s more like first comes baby, then comes hate then comes “Geesh, I really should have wait.” Over the past few decades teen pregnancy has been on the rise and marriage has been on the decline but are the tables starting to turn?

Superstar Beyonce and Rap Mogul Jay- Z made it cool to do things the old fashioned way. Both of them are at the top of their game, yet madly in love. Dating for 6 years, then getting married in 2008, they are now more than three years later expecting their first child.

Why is it that having children within the confines of a marriage have become a thing of the past? Who exactly do we blame? Parents can only tell their child so much about the birds and the bees.  Condoms, Contraceptive and other various forms of birth control are readily available. Are people simply having kids because it’s the cool thing to do?

If this is the case, who made it cool? Statistics show that children growing up in single parent households are twice as likely to grow up in poverty, have children outside of marriage or endure health related issues. Children growing up with parents, who have been divorced, often experience psychological issues as well.

Of course these statistics don’t mean children growing up in homes with their married, biological parents will live a lavish, care free life. Every home and family is different. However, their chances are slimmer.

I applaud Beyonce and Jay Z. Who would have thought Hip Hops King and Pop music’s Diva would make such a union.  For the thousands of people who look up to them, and want to emulate them, their way of doing things may help bring back an era where the American family was stronger, tighter and whose future was much brighter.

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