hey guys it's Brian McKnight here I've been traveling about 17 hours to Guam we
have a concert tonight and I got off the plane to some of the most heinous
craziness I've ever seen in my life that my oldest son Brian would post that I'm
abandoning my children and the reason why I supposed because I have a new
family and I guess the stems from a post that I made the other day about my son
Jack who I'm very proud of which isn't to say I'm not and haven't been proud of
my other children I was proud of this one too things that he did that day
we'll get back to it in a second anyone who knows me knows over the last 20
years 30 years now as a matter of fact that I've been there for my children
every step of the way until recently and let's be clear my two sons of 30 and 27
not 12 not 13 to 30 and 27 now my daughter's about to turn 18 that's
another strategy toward a second I've never missed a day of child support I've
never done anything adverse to my children whatsoever I've always been
there I've always been there with advice whether they took it or not I've always
been the sounding board and I've always been the one that tried to to help them
achieve whatever dreams ever wanting to reach out for I guess one of my only
fault is I gave my children everything that I didn't have in the hopes that
they would appreciate it cuz I know how much I would have appreciated it when I
was their age I would tell you as parents out there entitling your
children probably one of the worst things you can do and I know I am guilty
of that for whatever reasons I'm guilty of that tough love is a tough thing as a
parent to try to institute to your children because you want to help them
as much as you can and I did as much as I possibly could when I stopped doing
that fourth Avenue BJ was 25 and Eagle was 22 and it wasn't like I completely
got them off at that point that could that have a much later but I've been
there when I put them out of my house I gave
them an apartment for two years I said guys this is it this is the time to grow
up I'm giving you two years I'm gonna pay for everything for two years but
you're gonna have to work or do something because at the end of those
two years that's gonna be it it's time to be men here guys it's time to grow up
at the end of those two years they hadn't done any of it
it was just the right amount of time that Leilani and I had gotten together
Leilani was working at Children's Hospital and let's be clear Leilani has
been one of the only people who's been that advocate to keeping us together to
keeping us having a relationship because she wants to have the nuclear family as
much as I did and they have spit in her face at every turn she got them jobs at
the hospital $18 an hour with benefits and with the option of the hospital
actually paying for them to go back to school they said and I quote that they
knew they didn't they didn't want to stop smoking and they would have to pass
a drug test and the day I had the doctors looking into it he goes on there
you know taking a big puff which is fine if you want to smoke that's fine I'm not
saying that I'm saying that that's bad if that's your choice that's your choice
but what I'm telling you is that we have been advocates for them every step of
the way now let's go to the part where we have been estranged again we talked
about abandonment we're not yes I'm not abandoning them we are stranged which
happens more often than not in this particular situation
BJ broke into our home a few months ago and he put X's on the eyes of our
wedding photos and then he put a photo of my first wedding on Leilani's vanity
it was at that moment and after I heard him say and was pointed to some other
friends of mine I saw his posts on social media that he he basically said
that I was better off dead to him than a lot of I was more valuable to him dead
than on and that was the end of me dealing with him if you look at my
Instagram you'll see that not my last video with the video before that 42 the
song was written by Brian and I and it was directed the video by Nikko and I
went on and I said how proud I was a Nikko at the time
and I really really was he did an awesome job in the video even before
that to less than two years ago these are the two gentlemen who stood up for
me as my best man in my wedding so abandonment deadbeat dad I like I'll
be entering I've never missed a day in child support I've been there every step
of the way BJ he talked about Jack's new car jack BJ had three brand new cars
before he was 22 but I'm not talking about material things none of this has
anything to do with money it's about respect respect goes both ways and even
in family there's a line that shouldn't and should not ever be crossed it's
crazy to me that people will just believe anything and I thought it was
important to set the record straight and let you guys know that abandonment has
nothing to do with any of this deadbeat dad I've been there every step of the
way and let's also remember that these kids are 30 and 27 not 12 it's time for
grown men to be grown men and I'm sorry that tough love happens that to be this
way and that I do wish them the best I want them to have and to reach their
dream and their full potential but like any other man in the world you got to go
out there and you got to take it as far as my daughter's concerned you know her
mother if you look back at my Instagram she was a part of this family too with
Jack and Julia Leilani and myself and unfortunately along the way a couple
years ago I got wind that there was an older cousin who was above 18 who was
quite possibly having sex with her so I called as a father should to the State
Office for her children's affairs there in Arizona and I've never heard anything
back but the next thing that her mother did was to block all of us from her
social media from her phone and it completely estranged her from us what
that told me was that they want me to be involved in her life that way so to see
the post that she said considering that her mother only had a child was me for
money in the first place and I'll reiterate this I've not missed a child
support payments she goes to one of the most incredible
schools in Arizona so I don't know where this is all coming from but I thought
that I needed to let everybody know that there's another side to this story you
can choose to believe what you want I thought that I would lay it out there
for you anything that I say is actual factual all you have to do is Google
Brian McFadden sons and you'll see us singing all over YouTube go back and
look at my Instagram go back a couple of years you'll see did I post it about all
of my children but remember that these kids these boys are they're grown men
and tough love that's exactly what it is it's tough love so thanks everybody
thanks for listening and I hope that gives you a little bit more perspective