Supermodel,Tyson Beckford’s Blended Family

A U.S. reality TV stylist has revealed her 10-year-old son’s father is model/actor TYSON BECKFORD.

April Roomet has become a hit on TV show Candy Girls and her sudden fame has brought questions about her son, Jordan. The stylist has revealed her kid is the product of a romance with Beckford.

She tells America’s In Touch magazine, “I’ve never talked about Tyson… (He’s just) daddy, that’s Tyson, not supermodel Tyson.”

Roomet, who has styled stars like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, reveals she met Beckford when she was working as a waitress in a Los Angeles restaurant, and the pair began a torrid romance.

She credits Beckford for standing by her when she discovered she was pregnant with his son, and admits neither of them wanted to wed.

She adds, “We were on and off for years after Jordan was born. Being on different coasts and so busy with our careers, the timing wasn’t right… Maybe later, down the line, we’ll get it together and figure it out. “Tyson’s been very supportive of my career. We’re still friends and good parents, which is most important.”

My Perspective: I had the opportunity to catch an episode of Candy Girls one evening which featured Roomet, Beckford and their son, Jordan. What I saw was disheartening. Beckford was in town for one day to visit Roomet and their son and when he was leaving Jordan was in tears because he didn’t want him to leave. Beckford said that it’s hard on a kid who has two parents in the industry. He’s a supermodel, actor and host of hit reality show, Make me a Supermodel and she’s a celebrity stylist. Roomet then said how she had to be the strong mom and pick up the pieces for her son. Still, she didn’t seem bitter at all by Beckford’s actions.

I am all too familiar with this type of situation as my ex is an overseas basketball player who goes without seeing his son for 10 months at a time. This is unfathomable to me. I just don’t understand how one could go that long without seeing a child that they claim to love so much. I definitely understand work schedules and situations, but you can’t utilize some of your down time to swing by more often to visit with your son? It would mean a great deal to him and benefit your relationship as well!

At any rate, Roomet also made tons of references and directly stated that it has just never been the right time for her and Beckford to permanently get together, although she knows their son would love it. Unfortunately, since the taping of this episode, Tyson allegedly married UK born entreprenuer, Berneice Julien.

 I say – what about Jordan? Who cares if it’s the right time for your relationship? It should always be the right time for Jordan. As such, sacrifices have to be made in order to be better parents for him, and the best parents are ones who are there. Sure, it might mean that one of you have to stop working as much, change locations and get out of the limelight, but isn’t it worth it for Jordan? You’ve both had amazing careers so maybe it’s time to scale down a bit for his sake. What I will say is that after watching that episode I can see that you two could be great co-parents together. Most exes can’t stand the sight of each other, so I hope you realize just how lucky you are. In doing so, I hope that you take the first step and make a few sacrifices so that you BOTH can be there for Jordan.

BFSO wishes all the best to the Roomet/Beckford family. This one doesn’t have to end in blended family madness.

A Beautiful Blend by Julia Rutland

There has been much more open ongoing dialogue regarding race, race relations, and family lineage recently due to the election of our first African American President Barack Obama.  Yay!  I have read two separate articles this past weekend – one in Real Simple magazine and one in Wonder Time Magazine regarding parents of different races raising children either by adoption or interracial marriage. I wasn’t impressed with either article, and I was trying to figure out why.

I know this is a touchy subject but one I feel very strongly about and one I am exceptionally close to.  My husband happens to be African American as was my ex-husband, I am Caucasian and my three girls are a beautiful mixture of all of us.  They got the best of us that’s for sure!  There is enough challenge within the blended family with relationships, ex’s, step-parents, etc. without throwing race into it, but we did and this is our life.  Besides the fact that my ex-husband and his wife and my husband and I are all good friends and raise our daughter together and spend holidays together and so on, we are all separate people with separate lives and opinions.  We each have dated people of our own races, of other races, cultures, and religions.  We just happened to fall in love with the people we did because we love them as people.  My husband is the most amazing father and that has nothing to do with his skin color. It has more to do with how he was raised by his family and his character.  In addition, we each have our own stories of prejudice against us in our lives for either being African American as the case withmy husband and ex-husband, or for me being married to an African-American.  You would think that in this day and age things would be so much more accepted and people are people and that’s it.  Well, that isn’t always the case and it’s sad.  Very very sad!

As I stated before, I have three gorgeous little girls who live in not only a blended family but in blended race households as well.  My oldest daughter is 11 and spends time with her dad and step-mom every Wednesday evening and every other weekend.  Her sisters are four years old and 1 year old and they like to spend time with my oldest daughter’s step-mom AND my ex-husband, too!  Some people think it’s odd and that is fine.  I feel that the more positive people you have around your children the better.  The little ones don’t know that some people don’t think it’s “okay” for them to love my ex-husband and his wife and I hope they never know that.  How terrible to tell children who to love just because of the families they were born into? My own husband likes knowing that his girls are taken care of and it just happens to be with my ex-husband and his wife sometimes.  I really hate to keep saying my ex-husband and his wife because they are really much more than that – they are a part of our extended family.  They are truly our family.

The relationships we share as husbands and wives and the relationships we share as parents to children don’t change because of race.  I have had my food thrown at me from drive-through windows because I was in an interracial marriage. I have had women stop me in the grocery store and take it upon themselves to let me know how I need to do my daughter’s hair. I have had numerous threats of bodily harm. I have had issues in regards to employment, and many other ridiculous things because of who I choose to love.  No, not choose to love but who God has blessed me with and sent for me to love and share my life with.  And this ridiculousness doesn’t come from one race – it comes from many.

I never want my children to have to choose a side in anything. I’ve been told that I’m not being realistic but I just refuse to think so.  My daughters should never have to choose between us as parents because we all try to be on the same page when it comes to parenting, and they shouldn’t have to choose a race because they are a perfect blend of each of their parents.  Society can be cruel and I am trying to brace them for that.  If they have a strong foundation at home first, then society won’t be able to hurt them as much and that’s what I am counting on.  You can’t fully prepare your children for every single struggle in life but you teach them how to deal with situations that may arise.  Every problem may not have a solution but teaching them how to work through adversity is key.

We, as parents, my husband, ex-husband and his wife, are of mixed races and blended families ourselves.  We are teaching our children from experience and from real life lessons.  How can that be wrong?  In the end, it is my greatest hope that my daughters grow up to be good people.  Period.  If we have raised intelligent, beautiful, strong, young women, who positively contribute to our society then our job has been done; no matter what our race.