Recently, I listened to a podcast where Joe Rogan hosts Macaulay Culkin. In case you don’t know, he’s the kid from the infamous Home Alone movies. It seemed interesting to see how someone who grew up on screen and famous turned up as an adult. We all know that he struggled with drug abuse, but why?
The Fame And Scrutiny Is Difficult To Handle When Young
By his own admission, being famous at such a young age created the opportunity for him to take advantage of those around him. He says he was too young to process fame in a healthy way. Other child actors also have trouble dealing with being a celebrity as a child. For instance, Miranda May weight loss shows she needed to succumb to expectations people had of her. This was hardly any drastic action, but in Culkin’s case, he says that he was treated as the head of the household and the boss of all those around him. In a child’s mindset, he was the king of the world – and he acted that way.
Children Need Discipline
Although celebrity children learn the value of a day’s hard work quickly, they aren’t usually disciplined well. The problem is that their parents reserve all their parents for the time the child spends on set. Nowadays, some children are gaining celebrity status through platforms like TikTok. This makes it even more difficult to discipline the child.
On a related note, children usually need an authority figure to respond to. This is usually their parent(s), or teacher. But when a child is working for most of the day, their schooling sits on the sidelines, and the child loses contact with an authority figure. Even worse, they may start to think that they are the main breadwinner of the house (this is the case if the child isn’t born in a family of celebrities like Jaden and Willow Smith). They assume that because they are the breadwinner that they are the authoritative figure – they are too young to properly learn the dynamics at play.
Is It Fun For The Child
More often than not, it isn’t. Children at a young age want to be awarded the freedom to explore and play, and generally do not want to the burden and responsibility of a job. It can be extremely difficult for parents to balance between the work and home life of a child, especially if they are famous for acting or performing.
Being In The Spotlight Is A Lot Of Pressure
When you look at how celebrities like Britney Spears broke down as they got older, and look back at how their lives were dissected for the world to see at such a young age – it’s hard not to put two and two together. Most children need to fight for attention, but getting too much attention can create a high pressure situation for the child that is very difficult to manage.
If you want some solid advice, do not attempt to put your child in the position to become famous. If you see talent in them, nurture it for them use when they’re older.
