Lifetime will air Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story, based on a true story, this film shows the determination of one mother to get her child back, after he was abducted and taken out of the country.

This story caught my attention for many reasons. As a black mother with a child who is half Korean, the family structure and struggle interested me. But beyond race, the issue of a child being abducted is something all parents should learn more about.

A screener of the movie was sent to me to watch before the upcoming airdates. While I can't giveaway to many details, I can say that the story-line of a parents struggle to get back a child is something that WILL move you. So many parents are divorced or separated but still trying to co-parent in a positive way for the benefit of their children.

But what happens when one parents decided they no longer want to co-parent? What happens when one parents decides it's better to just take the child and go....to another country....without notifying the other parent. As the parent left without your child what can you do?!

I'm SO glad that the process of trying to get back your child was also shown in this movie. Again, I can't reveal too much but trust me, you'll definitely want to watch and learn.


Besides previewing the screener, I was also invited to be part of a conference call to interview Taraji Henson about the movie and her role. Since there were many others on the conference call, the questions were varied and gave Taraji an opportunity to really talk about so many things.

My questions to Taraji focused on her thoughts about the racial dynamics of the family and learning an Asian language.

Taraji explained to me that she saw no problem with race and interracial families. She feels it's all about love. Once true love is there everything else goes out the window. As for learning to speak Korean (yes she does in the movie), it wasn't difficult and she received compliments from her Korean language teacher.

During the conference call Taraji also shared how touched she was by what Tiffany stood for. As a mother herself Taraji can related to not letting a situation make you into a victim. She would also want to do whatever it took to get her child back.

This was one of the reason's why playing a real person appealed to her. Unlike when she has to play an iconic figure, where she needs to get everything about that person right, with “Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story” she was able to be true to the story, she was able to stay true to the feeling as a parent.

On Being a Single Mom

Taraji shared that as a single parent she pushes his son to finish his homework, do his chores, etc. She feels all parents need to be on top of their kids. We need to stay focus on our children and prepare them to better face the world.

While she lets her son use Facebook, she's very involved with making sure he's safe. She set up rules for using social media and admits to checking his account to see what he's saying and up to.

The real Tiffany Rubin

Also, immediately after premiering the movie, Lifetime will run a documentary titled Beyond the Headlines: The Tiffany Rubin Story in which the real Tiffany Rubin tells her story of the dangerous rescue of Kobe in March 2008 in Korea.

Others interviewed on the documentary include Kobe, Bazzel Baz who is a former CIA agent who helped with the rescue, and the FBI special agent in charge of the case. In addition to the interviews, the documentary includes photos taken by Tiffany and Mark, documents relating to the case against Jeffrey Lee, and a location visit to Seoul, South Korea.

Learn more, visit - www.mylifetime.com/movies/taken-from-me-the-tiffany-rubin-story