You know when Chris Rock says, men are only as faithful as their options. (Maybe Chris Rock was speaking from experience since he ended up cheating on his wife.) Well, these men not only cheated they had to admit their infidelity to their wives, the nation and in some very high profile cases, (looking at you, Bill), the world.

rhymeswithsnitch.com

“We Are Family” is the anthem that Sister Sledge made popular. Blood is blood but kin born outside the mother’s womb aren’t being recognized as they should nowadays. A distinction of separate but equal has taken over, where mothers are keeping their children from having a close relationship with siblings born outside of relationships, or who came into the picture from a parent’s new relationship. The practice may spare the adults hurt feelings, but it’s the children who suffer when they’re not allowed to have a meaningful relationship with their brothers and sisters.

In an ideal world, families would be raised under one roof with two loving parents to help guide and nurture their children into adulthood. Alas, idealism isn’t reality, and sometimes people make less than positive choices that bring children into the world. No one’s life is as perfect as they try to make it out on Facebook. It’s hard raising a family. It’s even harder when a child is born outside of a couple’s relationship. Two high profile examples of that can be seen by former Senator John Edwards and producer Swizz Beatz. They both had children outside of their failed marriages.

Swizz was married to his now ex-wife Mashonda, with whom he had a son with, when he fathered a little girl outside of their relationship by the name of Nicole. He had the child with a singer from the U.K. Mashonda found it in her heart to accept the little one, and even went as far as to wish her mother a Happy Mother’s Day. Whether or not it was sincere or covered in a layer of shade, we don’t know, but she’s made the effort and Swizz has stepped up as a father. When he tweets about his kids, Nicole’s can be seen with her brothers (as Mashonda’s son Kasseem can be seen with Alicia Keys’s son, Egypt), and she often gets her own shout outs and love.

For John Edwards, his lovechild, Frances Quinn, wasn’t immediately a priority. When she came into the picture, he went on national television and denied paternity because he wanted to save his reputation. He finally acknowledged the little girl publicly a few months back when he was acquitted from his corruption charges and referred to her as “precious,” and a lot more: “My precious Quinn, who I love more than any of you could ever imagine, and I am so close to, and am so, so grateful for, so grateful for Quinn.”

His affectionate sentiment got under the skin of many. And while some people have their emotions invested in hating Rielle Hunter, his mistress and the mother of Quinn, that’s no reason to transfer that hostility onto their daughter, or to be upset when her father shows love for her. However, during Rielle’s recent book tour for her tell-all, she admitted that her mistakes have affected Quinn since she has no relationship with her older siblings.

Another example, but with a happy ending, is Sean Combs. Diddy and the mothers of his children have avoided that painful dynamic after letting time pass, realizing that family is family. The producer and mogul had his daughter, Chance, while in a serious relationship with on-again, off-again love, Kim Porter. Of course, soon after Chance was born (five months later), his twins were brought into the world and the little girl no longer was a secret. Porter was said to be devastated, and for a long while, didn’t want her daughters, D’Lila and Jessie around or acquainted with Chance. However, times have changed, and hearts have softened. Diddy recently tweeted a picture of all three little girls hanging out together, and all seems well and good. The adults finally got out of their feelings and put the kids first, because we all know that shunning a child does not change DNA, or past mistakes.

It takes a big person to rise above hardened feelings, but when you’re a parent, it’s what you need to do. No one should have to be 15 and introduced to three grown men who are strangers at first glance, but in reality, are brothers never spoken of or brought around. That’s what happened to me. I still remember the feelings I had and what I did when I met my big brothers for the first time: I just hugged them. I saved the questions for later and just embraced each of them, just glad I got to meet them, even if much time had passed. We don’t have a super-glue bond, but at least there is one. My eldest brother even thought of me a few weeks ago and sent me a story about Kindle helping struggling authors get ahead. It was a small gesture, but he thought of me and that’s what family is about.

Sometimes, tough pills need to be swallowed for the greater good. For the good of the children and the good of the parent as well. There’s no need to keep siblings separated, or blame a child for the indiscretions of their parent. They didn’t ask to come into the world, but since they’re here, why not let them bond with their family?

More on Madame Noire!

• How Ya Going? 9 of Our Favorite Celebs Of Trinidadian Descent (There’s Some Surprises!)
• Baby, Bye! Celebs Who Took Their Baby Hair Too Far
• But He’s Not On My Level, Right? Why Women Should Seek Passion and Purpose in a Mate
• What’s Happened To R&B Music? The Real Men of R&B We Love
• Almost Doesn’t Count! Celebs Who Never Quite Made It Down the Aisle”
• Summer Essentials: The Curvy Fashionista Lists Her 5 Must-Haves
• Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind the Making of “New Jack City”

It’s so easy for things to go out of style and for others to be in denial about it. In the entertainment business, what’s hot one minute can go out of style with the quickness the next. And while most viewers or consumers might express that they’re tired of seeing something, as long as it makes somebody a few dollars, it’s sure to be around for a while–whether you like it or not. But it never hurts to b***h about it, right? That’s what I’m here for…

Source: thejasminebrand.com

People With Little to No Talent on My TV

And they’re making mad money! Call me jealous (I am…just a bit) about it all, but with all the talented people I see on the trains alone in NYC trying to get some attention and a few dollars, it makes me somewhat irritated that folks who can’t hold a note, act for s**t, or do something other than act a fool in Louboutins on reality TV are making all the money and taking all the jobs. Who needs to be talented when you can writhe around on the floor butt naked in an unimaginative music video while singing/yelling/yodeling and go platinum because of it? Right?

Before I got married, my husband had a gaggle of friends that looked like the United Colors of Benetton, sans the black girl, until me.  The group was equal parts young men and women, who would go on trips to someone’s parent’s condo and party at the beach all weekend, hang out at a bar, or get together at one another’s apartments to watch The X Files, complete with popcorn and beer.  Absolutely no ‘hooking up’ occurred whatsoever, unless folks were firmly coupled up.  Plus, all of the couples eventually got married. Most of them graduated from the University of Michigan, so I’ll henceforth call them the Michigan Crew.

With the knowledge of my husbands Michigan Crew, it was always okay for me that he had friends who were women.  There were even a couple of girls in the crew whom I knew crushed on him, but for The Hubster (then just The Boyfriend), a friend is a friend, and a girlfriend is a girlfriend. He never blurred those lines.

Read the rest of this entry »

by R. Asmerom

There’s one good thing about the spotlight: philanderers pay dearly for their actions. In the week following the news that Arnold Schwarzenegger had an affair with his housekeeper and fathered a child outside of his marriage, the Justice Department is preparing to indict former senator John Edwards on charges that he misused campaign funds in 2008 to cover up his affair with his now girlfriend Rielle Hunter and with whom he fathered a daughter.

He allegedly used campaign donations to pay for Hunter’s living expenses. At the time, his wife Elizabeth Edwards was being treated for cancer and eventually died in 2010.

It’s not certain whether this case is a slam dunk against Edwards since experts contend that campaign funding laws are vague; however, considering that this case represents an opportunity to send a clear and strong message about misusing campaign funds, Edwards has much to worry about.

Elizabeth Edwards left her estranged husband John Edwards a big bag of nothing in her will.  In fact, she didn’t even bother to mention her cheating, baby-making husband in the document. Elizabeth died of cancer in December of 2010. Reports say she signed her will just days before her death.

John–a former senator, vice presidential and presidential candidate–cheated on his wife with a campaign worker and produced a child. The husband and wife legally separated in January of 2010.

Find out who is mentioned in Elizabeth’s will by clicking here!

If you knew you were dying and you were married to some no good rotten man, would you suck it up and stay with him in your last days or would you leave as fast as you could?