Forums / Editor's Notes / EDITORS LETTER

The Ties that Bond

During these uncertain times, it is all too easy to take our everyday stresses out on those closest to us—our family members. Yet it is now more essential than ever to build upon and strengthen our existing relationships, because these are the very people we need to lean on when the going gets tough. In light of the current scheme of things, this family issue of Celeb Staff seems more relevant than ever. As careers come and go, and stocks continue to fluctuate, it is our families who will always be there for us.

He may be best known as the mastermind behind Bad Boy Entertainment, but our cover boy, Sean Combs, is a family man first and foremost. We take a look at his many different sides. Combs does not take his role as father lightly, and he is very close to his six children.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have his/her own biological children. For those who do not, adoption is always an option. Of course, adoption is far from an easy process; there are so many major decisions to make that it can feel overwhelming, to say the least. Laura Bell’s article navigates the intricacies—and red tape—involved with adoption.

There is another emotionally wrenching process that will fall upon most of us at some point in our lives: becoming the “parent” of our parents. Jae Margret Michaels explores the tough issues that must be considered as aging parents enter the next chapter of their lives.

For a lighter read, check out “Butler Memoirs” this month in which Michael Holly tells the tale of a post in the Caribbean gone bad. However, it was his close ties to his employers and the rest of the household staff that enabled him to make the most of his experience.

The very nature of the household-service industry, in which you are dealing so closely with other people’s personal lives, almost always presents a few unexpected situations. In this month’s “Personal Assistant Journal," Tena Gallagher recalls the time she was asked to investigate whether her employer’s husband was having an affair. She ended up finding out way more information than she had ever wanted to know about her employer’s relationship.

Truth be told, it’s never easy to draw the line between family and the workplace, especially in this industry, where many consider their employees and employers to be “family.” So whether you are thinking in terms of blood relatives or simply those with whom you share most of your waking hours, the message remains the same: Cherish those bonds that tie us together, and never lose sight of those who bolster you through the good and the bad.