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Background: This past week Britney Spear's 16 year old sister Jamie Lynn announced that she was pregnant and would be keeping the child that she conceived with her 18 year old boyfriend of 3 years. Although Jamie Lynn's public statement to America's youth, of which she has a tremendous following was, "do as I say, not what I do", whereby she publicly told her fans that it is better to wait until one is older to have children, many have been concerned about the effect that such celebrity actions impact young minds.The same concerns were expressed when Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan had their share of problems earlier this year.
In particular, many become worried that due to the celebrity's image and idealistic position that young children and adolescents will follow in their footsteps and make the same mistakes due to wishes and dreams of being both "cool" and maybe even famous. Adolescents have been identified as being the most at risk for such emulation due to desires of being different and independent from their parents and always looking for outside models to internalize and use as ways of becoming their own person.
In actuality however, outside models are only one factor that shape a child or adolescent's developing personality. Parents, extended family members, and even teachers and coaches have greater influences on children and adolescents due to their personal connection and experience with the child. In fact, when famous people make mistakes, it actually creates a sense of sympathy from their fans due to the fact that the star is seen as being human and capable of making mistakes and in many ways makes the adolescent fan feel "stronger" for they are not experiencing the same problems as their idealized star.
This is not to say that some children and adolescents might feels as though the star is condoning "bad" behavior and therefore experiment as a way of trying to be like them, but this would only occur when a child's parents were unavailable to both talk to them about healthy choices and supervise their whereabouts. When children or adolescents habitually make poor choices, rather than typical periodic experimentation, this is a sign that they are struggling to manage themselves, inside and outside, and need some outside assistance. The same is true when even a celebrity follows a similar path. An example of this was when Lynn Spears was the one who eventually forced her daughter, Britney, to go into a drug rehabilitation program. Perhaps this was cry for help from Britney to her mother that she needed her to be there for her even as a celebrity and an adult.
Celebrity children and adolescents, due to their fame, popularity, and scheduling, often miss out on many of the normal and important aspects of growing up in a traditional family setting. Expectations, limits, and common daily activities are often absent and they are living in more of an adult world as a child. Frequently, they are either home schooled or taught on a movie set by a teacher ,whereby they do not experience the typical structure and expectations that are implicit in traditional schooling programs and in may cases, they are the family bread winners which also sometimes changes the attitude of the parent and how the family system operates. Finally, the level of attention that they receive both places undue pressure on them and may also evoke a sense of invulnerability causing them to perhaps believe that they can participate in activities that would negatively effect most individuals, but not them, to later realize that they too are human and have limitations just like everyone else.
When a celebrity struggles, although sad, it provides a wake up call for adults and children alike. An opportunity for parents to talk with their children about healthy choices and to also keep a closer eye on them becomes important and in many cases will avoid a potential family crisis.
Key Points:1. Although important, celebrities are only one small source of identification for children.
2. Celebrity mistakes actually make many feel stronger about themselves.
3. Celebrities have cries for help just like everyone else.
4. Public knowledge of problems allows for parents to talk with their children about healthy choices.Dr. Keith Kanner
Host
Your Family Matters Show
Fox6 News - San Diego
San Diego Living Show
