Age ain't nothing but a number / Throwing down ain't nothing but a thang / This lovin' I have for you / It'll never change…  -Aaliyah

Not to take you away from your walk down memory lane, but I think Aaliyah said it best with her classic hit, “Age Ain’t Nothin But A Number.” Today, women are taking this exact point of view when dating men outside of their age bracket. As a matter of fact, most surveys will show that many women in their mid-20s or early 30s prefer dating men who are considerably older. Now nothing is wrong with this concept by any means, but it does speak to the notion that younger men must be lacking some quality that their older male counterparts possess.

I have never been one to judge another couple’s relationship. Like most people, I try to operate my life in whatever makes the most sense for me and my lifestyle. Like the old saying goes, “Everythang ain’t for everybody.” And while this popular saying can be attached to numerous topics surrounding those in relationships, I feel that for those that choose to quote unquote “shack up” would have to agree that this would be the perfect comeback for naysayer’s that frown upon this notion.

In this forever changing society we live in today, the lines have become quite murky in terms of what a traditional relationship should look like. We have the couple who goes through their just dating phase. Then we have the couple who finally takes their relationship to the next level, making it exclusive to just one another. But now in this new day and age, we have the couple who has decided to change the rules of engagement all together and make their relationship an open one.

So you meet the guy. He's tall, handsome, has an amazing personality, beautiful smile and overall just an all-around nice guy. You go out on a few dates and really get to know each better, then somewhere in the conversation he finds the courage to tell you he has a beautiful baby girl or boy. However, the downside to that is he has an insanely crazy baby mama! What do you do? Do you run straight for the hills or do you sit down and weigh out the pro’s and con’s of the situation?