Fans of Bravo’s hit show Thicker Than Water know that breakout star Brooklyn Tankard is more than forthcoming about her checkered past – even to the point of openly disclosing her 2009 arrest for operating the Kitty Kabin Lounge, a brothel/strip club in Nashville, Tennessee.
But fans may be surprised to learn that Brooklyn has found herself on the wrong side of the law yet again. Brooklyn was pulled over for a minor traffic offense, and a license check turned up an outstanding warrant for “failure to cause child to attend school.” According to the site, court docs reveal that Brooklyn’s 10-year-old daughter Diamond, also a regular on Thicker Than Water, had 16 unexcused absences from school and another 35 unexcused tardies.
Brooklyn sets the record straight on her recent troubles and discusses what life is really like under the microscope of reality TV.
Were you aware of the warrant for your arrest?
No. Had I been aware that my daughter’s attendance issues were becoming a legal matter, I definitely would have taken care of it.
So why did your daughter miss so much school?
Some of those days she legitimately didn’t feel well, and the absences weren’t excused because I didn’t always take her to the doctor to get a doctor’s excuse. I felt comfortable staying home to monitor my daughter’s health and allowing nature to take its course, as long as she didn’t get a high fever. If she was a newborn infant then of course I would have taken her to the doctor. But as experienced mothers we know that a light fever can be cured with over-the-counter fever reducers. And a few of the days I’m sure she said she didn’t feel well just so she could snuggle with me. What can I say? I fell for it; she’s my only daughter and my spoiled little princess. Diamond’s tardiness is simply a lack of time management on my part while trying to adjust to our new schedule.
The issue of whether you have been present enough in your daughter’s life was brought up on the first season of Thicker Than Water. What is your response to people who will consider this further proof that you have been neglecting your motherly responsibilities?
ANY time my daughter missed school she was with me, under my care. That needs to be clear. It was NEVER an issue of me not being there to take her to school or be there for her. I am always there for my daughter and would never do anything to neglect her. Like most moms, I don’t play about my daughter. Don’t buy the hype.
How are you changing things going forward so that this doesn’t happen again?
The main thing is that if she is sick again, I will take her to the doctor to get a note. Period. Also, I have gotten better with my time management and will continue to improve in that area. Now that I’m more aware of the school attendance procedures I’ll be sure to meet the tight guidelines and stay in compliance.
Is it difficult to deal with the intense spotlight and added scrutiny of being a celebrity?
This whole experience just really reminds me that I can’t live a normal life anymore. It’s like,“Welcome to the world of celebrities and fame.” I can’t have normal issues or normal mistakes because they get blown up. In my daughter’s old school district, kids could only miss five days of school and three tardies add up to one absence, so that’s how the total number of missed days got so high. Of course there are some media outlets reporting that she missed more than 50 days of school, and that’s just not true. But I’m learning that that kind of embellishment just comes with the territory.
Has this experience caused you to regret or reconsider broadcasting your life on national TV?
The crazy part about the whole situation is that I was actually leaving church and spending time with my family when I got pulled over, so it’s definitely not like I was out acting crazy or something. But my lesson is learned.
It definitely doesn’t make me regret doing the show. I know I’m in my lane, in my purpose, and even this will work out in my favor. Why? Because it’s just another learning experience. I have to take responsibility for my actions and just allow this situation to make me better and not bitter.
