Evolution of the American Family by Dr. John E. Bell, Author of Invasion of the Baby Daddy

Today's guest blogger is Dr. John E. Bell, author of Invasion of the Baby Daddy.

Every unwed mother's nightmare comes to life in the pages of this book, a compelling and moving debut novel that echoes the emotional and cerebral frustrations of unwed mothers throughout the ages. Its unforgettable characters and authentic storyline are interwoven with current and real facts about the volume of unwed mothers in our society today. In the story, Dr. Sands believes he has found his perfect mate only to discover that she is pregnant from a previous relationship. Not fully aware of the ramifications of this colossal news, Dr. Sands and Rachel date via long distance during her pregnancy and ultimately decide to get married. In order to make a life together, Rachel must move to Tennessee to start a new life with her husband. But the Baby Daddy has other plans for them. Determined to make this marriage work, Dr. Sands goes to extraordinary lengths to try and negotiate with the Baby Daddy. Brimming with honesty from the author's own experiences, Invasion of the Baby Daddy comes alive with unique freshness, candor and rich detail.

"Evolution of the American Family" by Dr. John E. Bell

I wrote this book based on many devastating challenges that I have seen and experienced in the American family evolution over the last 18 years. I also wrote the book in hopes that it helps men and women make better decisions in their lives as it relates to responsibility and family obligations that affect the next generation. I hope my thoughts today will reflect that dedication and pursuit of successful family planning in the future.

I feel the American family structure is currently changing and has been changing over the last 20 years. For example 6.4 million children are born out of wedlock today. Over 50% of marriages end in divorce and most families today never have evening dinner together any more. We are now in the hurry up and going nowhere society. The facts alone are alarming, but also very true of our society.

Another example of the decay of the American family is specifically African-American families having a 72% single-parent household. Latino families have a 40% single-parent household. Caucasian European families have a 36% single-parent household in America, according to the 2007 Census report. It shows how the American family is ever-changing and also what challenges American families will be confronted with in in the future. It seems to me, the root of many of the problems of unwed mothers has been the acceptance of the decay in the American family. A lack of education and the instant generation is what society and our family life have evolved into.

Most of the women and men who have unplanned children early in life, have a low education and no goals that prevent the detour of the mistakes of unplanned pregnancies. Furthermore, a greater issue is when most of the American families repeat the mistakes of the previous generations before them because the societal conditions that existed for the previous generation have not improved for their children. Unfortunately, this now becomes a generational issue for the next parents of the children of today.

The problem that can interfere with a blended family having a great life could be the Baby Mother or Baby Daddy, who is attached to the child itself, that attempts to separate a family when the biological Mom or Dad wants to move on. The Baby Mother cannot leave a state with the child to live out of state, even if she has married someone else. This is a court order called joint legal status that gives a Baby Daddy as much custody over the child as the Baby Mother, even without a marriage. As one can see, this can leave a blended family with severe hardships and ultimately cause a devastating divorce. Joint legal status court orders are a state-by-state issue. You must check your state to make sure that this law does not affect your relationship if you are planning on moving on from a Baby Daddy or Baby Mother.

I urge every unwed mother to actually never go to court without an attorney against a Baby Daddy. If a woman represents herself in court without legal representation , she is a fool. Women must use an attorney to voice and present their issues to the court against the Baby Daddy in order to preserve the right to keep the freedom of having her life to move on with the child. Rachel, a character in the book, "Invasion of the Baby Daddy" did not have an attorney trying to play the system that the woman gets the child. Unfortunately this strategy proved most devastating to her life. Most importantly, be honest about your life and your choices in life and the challenges that a woman has to consider when she has a child in an unplanned parental situation.



Author Dr. John Bell has a Masters degree in Health Services from Strayer University and currently serves as a professor at Strayer University at Shelby Oaks campus in Memphis, TN. Dr. Bell has a Doctorate of Podiatric Medicine from Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Bell is currently a practicing Surgical Podiatrist at 4 locations throughout the Memphis and Greater West TN community. He is a Veteran of the Gulf War serving 10 years in the U.S. Navy. Bell is also a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Dr. Bell has one daughter.

You can visit Dr. Bell online at www.drjohnbell.com, where you can see videos, podcasts and read more about his medical career and accomplishments.

Follow Dr. Bell's virtual book tour all month long at http://virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/.