How Rare Is It To Grow Up With 2 Parents?

Over the last several weeks, I’ve had conversations or have read an unusually high number of blog posts that make mention of a large number of people growing up in single parents homes and that seems to be the norm as opposed to a two parents home.

It seems that coming from a two parent home is quite rare these days. Out of all my friends only 3 of us had both parents in the home. I was blessed to have been raised by both of my parents in the home until my father passed away in 93.

I can’t help but wonder how this sad state of affairs came about. It was such a gradual shift in society that none of us really saw what was happening until it was too late.

Many years ago it was the standard to have both parents in the home growing up not the exception but somehow we lost sight of that. How?

Was the feminist’s movement of the 60’s responsible? Was our lowered standard regarding sexual responsibility to blame?

I obviously have more questions then answers. It’s just a shame that kids have to grow up in a world where they think that being a single parent is normal and the way things should be.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not talking about people that became single parents out of circumstance (divorce, widowed) but those that chose to have babies without being married and in many cases with people they hardly know.

This situation was brought to the forefront this weekend when I attended a babyshower for my girlfriend Clueless’s young niece.

As I was sitting there taking survey of my surroundings and the attendees I noticed something very interesting. Clueless’s niece, the nieces older sister and their mother (Clueless’s sister) all had children out of wedlock. All of them.

Did these young girls follow their mother’s path because she hadn’t taught them a different way? Are we all doomed to follow in our parents footsteps, repeat the same mistakes our parents did? How do we break that cycle?

How do we let our kids know that having both parents in the home raising the kids together is much more beneficial to the child’s overall well-being? Our kids are being shortchanged and it saddens me.