Are men powerless to women?
Yet another scandal involving a powerful, married man. The more details that emerge about Pertraeus and Broadwell, the more ridiculous all of this seems to become. You have two people who had a great deal to lose, deciding to risk it all to have an affair. I am sure it does not seem worth it now, to either of them. I wonder if the forbidden is so tempting that you don’t care what consequences you could face when you are caught up in it?
Whenever I hear discussions about why men and women cheat, I find it interesting how the reasons attributed to each gender can be so different. Women are trying to fill an emotional void, while men are seeking to feel a physical one.
Is is really about giving in to attraction and temptation? When you find yourself susceptible to being tempted, does it not all come down to making a choice?
I have seen a lot of judgment toward Broadwell, as many spin the sordid affair like it is some bad romance novel: Temptress targets her mark and lures him in to her web. Please! That all sounds a little too easy and it totally lets Petraeus off the hook. Are women really capable of making a man so powerless that his good sense goes out the window? Why do you think think?
By Wise Diva, Misadventures in Atlanta Dating Blog
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255 comments Add your comment
Single and Happy
November 13th, 2012
3:46 pm
Take a vacation from hosting, cooking and cleaning this holiday season – instead, you could be tanning, cocktailing and just being lazy! Let us do all the work! Our simple all-inclusive plan makes it easy to enjoy a relaxed sun-filled holiday. Tempted?
http://www.rosehallresort.com
Now here’s the kind of temptation I might fall for (LOL)
disco
November 13th, 2012
3:47 pm
CC – a lot of folks I know that have those late life babies sneak in on them are almost suicidal. they take it hard. one lady I know thought she was going through menopause only to find out she was pregnant. mid 40s. no children. she’d spent a lifetime being careful and “protected” but if it’s meant to be it’s meant to be.
For Real
November 13th, 2012
3:49 pm
Friend: Girl congrats on the new baby.
Comon: Whateva!
Friend: Um, okay.. Hey what’s the baby name?
Comon: Retirement Down the Fugging Drain Jankins aka Awwww Dayum!!!!
disco
November 13th, 2012
3:50 pm
S/H – as the resident teen parent I specifically recall feeling everything but blessed when I realized I was pregnant. still, as an adult I recognize it for what it is. this is just my own math but I figure for every unplanned teen pregnancy or every single mother having another kid with another baby daddy there’s probably some married couple or older, single woman out there with fertility issues. doesn’t matter how they get here, the babies are a blessing (and that’s whether it’s in disguise or not).
For Real
November 13th, 2012
3:52 pm
aka Pull out my ass
aka He ain’t touching me again
Single and Happy
November 13th, 2012
3:53 pm
Disco, maybe, but for it to be a blessing, it has to be from god, which mean god blessed you for going against his word and sinning. and children born into bad situations, how is that a blessing. I’m not saying all aren’t but some aren’t.
Leggs
November 13th, 2012
3:53 pm
O/T: Not to bring this back up on Petraeus’ looks, but I just looked at a pic of him and it finally dawned on me. He looks just like Don Knotts in Mr. Lippitt.
kimmie
November 13th, 2012
3:53 pm
disco – That’s so sweet!
Single and Happy
November 13th, 2012
3:54 pm
technically, I’m a teen parent also
dang are you sure we’re not the wonder twins (LOL)
Single and Happy
November 13th, 2012
3:55 pm
Disco, the blessing is what we made of it, we took on our responsibilities and didn’t let one huge mistake for some keep us from going forward.
disco
November 13th, 2012
3:57 pm
S/H – the fornication is the sin, not the kids. at least that’s how I was taught to believe. doesn’t matter how they got here, once they are here they should be appreciated. (and by the way, you see how I’m refraining from going all religious on it. lol.)
kimmie – what’s so sweet? I missed it.
kimmie
November 13th, 2012
3:59 pm
disco – Your 3:50 post.
Single and Happy
November 13th, 2012
4:00 pm
disco, without the sin, they wouldn’t be here. Yes they should be appreciate, unfortunately everyone doesn’t see it that way
no child should have to pay for what some felt was a mistake, they never asked for any of it.
Single and Happy
November 13th, 2012
4:01 pm
That is unless your name is Mary!:-D
disco
November 13th, 2012
4:03 pm
S/H – while I see and understand your perspective I guess this is one time that we aren’t seeing eye to eye. thing is, somebody has to have the babies and if that somebody is nay nay and june bug in the projects or bobby ricky and amber lynn in the trailer park then so be it. folks sitting around waiting to have X number of degrees, the so called perfect spouse and X amount of money in the bank may find themselves looking for somebody else’s baby to adopt when it’s all said and done.
kimmie – I thought so but I wasn’t sure. in that regard I do agree with S/H. to be totally honest for a very long time I saw my son as more burden than blessing but at the end of the day we can call that perspective.
Celisea
November 13th, 2012
4:09 pm
Okay, where’s my long post???
I’m out
kimmie
November 13th, 2012
4:09 pm
disco – While fate has a way of messing up the best laid plans, nothing wrong with trying to do things in the best way possible. I sincerely hope my daughter at least finishes college and finds a nice guy to marry before she has a little one.
Single and Happy
November 13th, 2012
4:10 pm
Disco, someone has to have the kids, but if you’re not going to take responsibility for these kids, don’t say they are a blessing, I’m sure you know just like I know women who go out and have kids with guys that aren’t already taking care of their other kids, fuss all the time about what he ain’t doing but then call it a blessing?? for me if it was truly a blessing both parents would handle their business to the best of their ability, regardless of what station in life they are at. The would always do what’s in the best interest of the child.
Celisea
November 13th, 2012
4:12 pm
The blog monster sure is getting picky….I was basically agreeing that life have to be replenished. So if you block, stop, wait, pull-out, etc etc etc, that will stop life. Just like in the wild there has to be kept a balance, as with human life, the concept remain the same. Folks die and babies are born.
Comon ¢
November 13th, 2012
4:13 pm
For Real~ You stoopid!
But on the real, by the end of my pregnancy I was posting eviction notices on my stomach. “My little souvenir” had to get the hell out!
Celisea
November 13th, 2012
4:13 pm
Now, I’m out
MsAtl
November 13th, 2012
4:14 pm
Disco & S/H- another teen parent here. I was 19 with 2 children, but I’ll be dayumed if I was going to be anyone’s statistic!
Comon ¢
November 13th, 2012
4:17 pm
So, maybe you guys can offer me some advice on what to say to my 14 year old cousin who is having the baby. She seems to think that dude is going to become so great guy because she knocked up when he was cheating on her even before she found out she was pregnant. I’m glad she is keeping the baby, but I also don’t want her to have some rose-colored view of what life is about to be like. Is there anything that anyone could have said to you all that would have made a difference on your outlook?
For Real
November 13th, 2012
4:17 pm
Disco: I like your honesty… I respect people that are honest about themselves. I wish more people were like that.
For Real now wonder if Disco got her tubes tied and what flavor of liqurious is her favorite.
Sassy Me...Juicy Fruit ;-)
November 13th, 2012
4:20 pm
He looks just like Don Knotts in Mr. Lippitt.
Eeew and why did an image of a pig in a blanket come to mind?
disco
November 13th, 2012
4:21 pm
Mrs. Atl – we are all statistics. lol.
S/H – just one more and I’m done. regardless of the parent or parents’ parenting, all I’m saying is that the life (i.e. the child) is a blessing. not going into anything deeper than that. just saying life itself is a blessing.
for real – nope. tubes not tied. but I might be the first person in medical history to OD on birth control and I ain’t even getting any. lol.
Single and Happy
November 13th, 2012
4:24 pm
comon, not really, because everyone was saying it, and we didn’t listen. The best thing to do is not make it convenient for her to get another.
Life goes on, but to bring a child in this world and then starve them to death, drown them, burn them up, shall I go on!! where is the blessing in that? some people don’t need to have children. Children need all the love and attention that they deserve!!
I have never really wanted kids, but I don’t regret a day of having my kids. love them forever!
SlimNu: Life always happens
November 13th, 2012
4:26 pm
Non-mother here…so no teen mother stories to share. My mom was a teen mom though..Got preggers with me at 16, had me at 17. That is all
kimmie
November 13th, 2012
4:28 pm
Comon – That can happen in any family. We are trying to be sure we don’t “glamorize” the teen moms to the up & coming generation, while we continue to offer support and encouragement.
Single and Happy
November 13th, 2012
4:28 pm
well time for me to “pull out” (LOL) have a great evening
MsAtl
November 13th, 2012
4:28 pm
Disco- I mean the typical negative stereotypes that folks try to pin on us. Granted, I was a married 19 yo with 2 kids, but still.
Comon- I think the best thing is to let your cousin know that it will not be easy and convince her to do what she has to do for her child whether she is with the father or not. We know that if daddy is a douche before the baby, daddy will likely be a douche after the baby, but you don’t have to tell her that. Just encourage her as a mother and let that be. The rosy tint will fade on its own.
Leggs
November 13th, 2012
4:29 pm
Single ~ I think disco is saying all children are a blessing, but unfortunately, it’s the parents who doesn’t see that and harm them, drown them, kill them. It doesn’t take away the fact that they are blessing from God. They were simply a blessing for the wrong people.
Single and Happy
November 13th, 2012
4:32 pm
Leggs, do you think god sends down blessing for sinning? for some without the sin there wouldn’t be that blessing. that was the last stroke, now i’m really going to “pull out”, read you guys later
disco
November 13th, 2012
4:33 pm
S/H – I see you aren’t budging. I respect that especially since I used to be right there with you. I had a cousin who had her first at 17 and had 4 by early 20s. all four kids had different fathers. said cousin died in an accident at 28. we, and I see we, collectively, the family as a whole, are glad those four kids are here.
leggs – that’s exactly what I’m saying. I’m not talking about specific circumstances. just life. and I’ll go a step further and disagree with your statement that they were a blessing for the wrong people. since I was taught God doesn’t make mistakes I’ll say he blessed the right people but the right people just weren’t ready for their blessing.
where is celisea? she’s the one that gets all churchy. I try not to. lol.
Leggs
November 13th, 2012
4:35 pm
Single, how many blessings have come your way during your years of sinning??? I’m just asking.
Leggs
November 13th, 2012
4:38 pm
“I’ll say he blessed the right people but the right people just weren’t ready for their blessing.” – how are they the right people if they weren’t ready and refused to get “ready” because God doesn’t make mistakes? God is always on time, His time, not our time. The statement seems skewed.
For Real
November 13th, 2012
4:40 pm
on the teen preggos thingy…. We need to stop glorifying single moms!! We need to make parenting EQUAL! No he can’t just walk away and pay child support! We need to take away the infrastructure of support and push it back onto the parents and grandparents! We need to stop having 36 year old grandparents preggo with Aunts and Uncles that’s the same age of the grandchildren!
disco
November 13th, 2012
4:40 pm
leggs – it is skewed. lol. my only point is that he (in his infinite wisdom) chose to give that baby to those people. he could have chosen to give the baby to someone else. whether or not they handled it right/treated it right/raised it right is a whole nother something and I don’t profess to be able to explain the whys, how comes and what fors.
Leggs
November 13th, 2012
4:43 pm
Ok, disco.
disco
November 13th, 2012
4:48 pm
for real – I do agree with you re not glorifying single parenthood. believe it or not, I have never once ever referred to myself as a “single mother”. I kind of cringe when I hear single parents do it. just like I cringe when I hear a woman talk about her “baby daddy”. it’s just not cute to me.
by the way, I’ve mentioned before that both my sets of grandparents were essentially having kids and grandkids at the same time.
ok leggs. lol. sometimes expressing the right point can be a bit difficult.
For Real
November 13th, 2012
4:48 pm
First God does not chose when to give people children people make that choice. So, that should clear up the “skewedness of disco post”. It’s funny how people forget they have FREE WILL when the consequence of their decision slaps the ish out them!
SlimNu: Life always happens
November 13th, 2012
4:50 pm
We need to stop glorifying single moms!! We need to make parenting EQUAL! No he can’t just walk away and pay child support!
Aaaaamen, I shole don’t want a kid as merely a paycheck. I want the father of my kid to be an active parent and role model for our child…and not just a baby sitter whenever i need a break lol
For Real
November 13th, 2012
4:50 pm
Make a bad decision and it’s God’s will. Make a good decision and you’re the most awesome person on the planet. Funny ain’t it?
For Real
November 13th, 2012
4:53 pm
Slim: I believe if they take away child support (which is a revenue stream for states so it ain’t going nowhere) and replace it with shared parenting that would take away the incentive of money for the child and take away the incentive of money to solve the problem of having a child.
Leggs
November 13th, 2012
4:53 pm
“I cringe when I hear a woman talk about her “baby daddy”. it’s just not cute to me.” – I can relate, disco. Never liked it, and the smiles and smirks “hey this here my baby daddy, ain’t he cute!” Who gives a flying f…
disco ~ I’ve been explaining something off this blog that’s difficult to explain so I definitely know what you’re saying.
disco
November 13th, 2012
4:54 pm
for real – thing is all that free will means nothing to the couple that have been screwing like rabbits, using ovulation tests, getting fertility treatments and everything else trying to get pregnant. my point – and my only point really – is that God calls the shots in determining who is going to be “blessed” with a baby. whether you are screwing a little or a lot, whether you are married or not, whether your tubes or tied or not, it is his will.
Comon ¢
November 13th, 2012
5:05 pm
MsAtl~ I can’t help but to WANT to tell her that he’s a douche. It’s like she thinks that a baby is going to “bind” him to her and make him stay. Ughhh!!!
As far as sinning leading to blessings, although I couldn’t see it at the time, my daughter is definitely a blessing and for those of you who were here when I first came, you know I was definitely sinning when she was conceived. IJS…
Leggs
November 13th, 2012
5:14 pm
My point, Comon.
For Real
November 13th, 2012
5:17 pm
Comon: You will do you cousin no justice if you don’t tell her what’s in front of her. Would you scream WALL if she was about to run into one?
Comon ¢
November 13th, 2012
5:19 pm
For Real~ Absolutely. But she’s 14 and in that puppy love phase where she knows EVERYTHING! I have a feeling this baby is going to slap her back to reality though, especially when ol boy shows up at the hospital (if he bothers to come) with his new chick…