Just because a child is a famous singer or actor doesn’t make them an infallible role model. Kids are kids, they make mistakes and eventually grow up. It’s an obvious fact of life, but it can become a little bit of an issue when your child’s favorite star begins to exhibit traits you, as a parent, don’t think they are ready to deal with.
For example, in 2006, Vanessa Hudgens was the perfect, angelic little actress. Her starring role in “High School Musical” made her the girl all the girls wanted to be and the boys wanted to be with. But after a sequel or two, something changed.
She was immersed in an Internet scandal when nude photos of her appeared online. She began publicly dating her co-star Zac Efron. She took a role in the MTV-esque film “BandSlam” and soon will start shooting a film called “Sucker Punch,” written and directed by violent director Zach Snyder, about a group of women in a mental institution who fight their way out of an alternative reality with machine guns.
What the heck happened to the squeaky clean little girl from the Disney Channel?
Believe it or not, Vanessa Hudgens’ story of Hollywood maturity is one of the more normal ones. Success and fame at an early age can be a huge detriment to a child’s development and the fact that she has continued to work is the exception, not the rule. Who can forget the stories of virtually every famous child imaginable – Corey Feldman, Tatum O’Neal, Michael Jackson, the list goes on and on – who turned to drugs or alcohol or worse?
In most cases, children who are idolized at an early age get a totally warped sense of self and it screws them up royally.
But we all know this, right?
The bigger question is, as a parent, how do you deal with it? How do you tell your son or daughter, who has seen “High School Musical” 1000 times, that they can’t go see the new movie that Gabriella (Hudgens character) is in?
The answer is simpler than one would think.
Kids all want to grow up. They want to stay up later, go out by themselves, drive and participate in all the cool stuff that happens with older kids. Such is the case with their favorite stars, too. You just have to explain to your kids that Vanessa Hudgens is just like them. She wants to stay up later, go out, drive, and, in her case, do movies that are different from the ones she has been doing. Make them feel a connection to the star – like they have something in common. Then, maybe, your kids will understand that they’ll be able to see what their favorite star is doing when they are ready for it. Just not now.
From Daniel Radcliffe going from “Harry Potter” to naked on stage, to Amanda Bynes going from Nickelodeon to Cosmo cover girl, most child stars feel the need to mature in front of our eyes and they do that by breaking away from the kiddie roles that made them stars. It’s your job, as a parent, to distinguish when your child’s favorite star simply isn’t a kid anymore.
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