Ice-T And Coco Austin Explained Why They Are A “One And Done” Family
The rapper and TV personality were originally unsure if they wanted any kids at all.
It’s becoming more and more common for parents to stop having kids after their first. According to Pew research, the rate of only-child families doubled from 11% to 22% between 1976 and 2014. Today, the percentage of families with only one child — the fastest-growing segment of the childbearing population — is estimated to be as much as roughly one-third.
While the reasons for only having one kid vary, rapper Ice-T, 64, and his wife Coco Austin, 43, know exactly why they stopped after their now 6-year-old daughter, Chanel.
While walking the blue carpet at Heidi Klum’s epic Halloween party, the Law and Order actor told Us Weekly, that they felt complete as a family of three.
“Nah. We’re one and done. One and done,” the rapper said.
More: Coco Austin Bathed Her 6-Year-Old In The Sink And The Internet Attacked
Ice-T explained that Austin wasn’t sure if she wanted kids at all but as she got older, having just one child felt right for their plans. “Coco didn’t really want to have babies and then when she hit 35, she got the bug,” he added. “She’s like ‘I gotta do it.’ And so, we had the baby.”
The couple, who have been married since 2005, couldn’t stop smiling while talking about their little girl’s Halloween plans to reporters.
“Chanel had school. She had to do something that dealt with the Renaissance, so she was a princess,” Ice-T explained. “And then she went out trick or treating with her little girlfriends. She played the Scream character.”
Sign up for Scary Mommy’s daily newsletter for more stories from the trenches. We’ve got personal takes, life-changing tips, and all the things you need to keep one step ahead of the chaos.
Austin explained that while Chanel kept it tame for school, her Halloween costumes for that evening were scary. In fact, the six-year-old and her mom went on a shopping spree at Spirit Halloween because she couldn’t narrow down which iconic slasher film villain she wanted to be.
More: The Internet Is Big Mad That Coco and Ice T Put Their Six Year Old In A Stroller
“She loves everything scary. So, we went to Spirit [Halloween] and we got, like, five different costumes and they’re all scary costumes: Scream, Chucky, Chucky’s girlfriend Tiffany,” the model told Us. “This is the time where she can put on a mask and hold a knife so that’s cool to her.”
Austin also confessed that Chanel is attached to her hip, wanting to look exactly like mom, even begging Austin to dye her hair.
“She wants to wear heels — she thinks it’s cool, everything that I do. Now she’s obsessed with blonde hair,” she continued. “I’m going back to blonde next week. I’ve been pink for nine months. And I’m going back to blonde. She’s like, ‘Oh, thank God!’ She’s like, ‘When can I change my hair color blonde?’ and I was like, ‘Your hair color is beautiful. I don’t know why you don’t like your hair color.'”
Ice-T added, “She just loves to stay next to Coco. She’s attached to Coco all day. We don’t have any nannies or anything, so Coco’s been with her 24/7.”
It’s great that celebrity couples like Ice-T and Coco are breaking the stigmas associated with only child families, being honest about their life as a family of three, and truly embracing having just one child.
