Jessica Alba, single moms and marriage

Oh, Jessica Alba.

It was revealed earlier this week that one of the hottest ladies of 2007 is expecting a baby come late spring, early summer. As a result, Alba has added her name to a growing list of celebrities who are becoming pregnant or having children without getting married. Other single celebs include Nicole Richie, Halle Berry and, perhaps the most infamous, Angelina Jolie.

Yesterday, CBS's Early Show discussed whether celebrities were leading, or possibly encouraging, a nationwide trend to have children before marriage. Apparently, in 2006, the U.S. reached a record number of unwed, single mothers. The show's guest expert said celebrities were glamorizing what it's actually like having a baby. Average people, like you and me, need to realize that having a child while single is much more difficult than if we were married. Celebrities have a wide range of resources at their disposal, such as money, nannies and personal trainers for support, whereas we might rely on meager middle class wages to help us get by.

A simple fact is that for the average person, the traditional family structure: two committed adults pooling their physical and emotional resources for the betterment of themselves and children works. That's why it has persisted for this long. Are celebrity pregnancies out of wedlock trying to teach us otherwise?

Do you think that the glamorizing of pregnancy and motherhood is causing the erosion of the traditional familial model: start dating, get married, have kids? Does it matter to you whether you get married or have kids first?