"Childhood" in Hollywood

So now we have it; another child in Hollywood gone astray. But should we even really be surprised?

Of course I'm speaking of Brittney Spears sixteen-year-old sister, Jamie Lynn Spears being pregnant. It's all the buzz in Hollywood and if you haven't heard yet, what rock were you sleeping under?

Jamie Lynn Spears, the star of Zoey 101 which airs on Nickolodeon was born on April 4, 1991. I can remember when she was around 11 or 12 and just breaking into acting with the other Nickolodeon hit, "All That."; my how time flies. She was the last child of three born to Lynn and Jamie Spears and thank God for that! It seems that Lynn, who was the primary care giver for Britney and Jamie doesn't exactly know what parenting is all about and is more concerned with fame and success than the mental well-being of her children.

I know, some of you may think I am being a little harsh but let's take it back to where it all began and the Spear-esque realities entered our life. First, we have the pop hit, "......Baby Hit Me One More Time." Even the title subconciously hints to something more than the innocent cover the cd is trying to portray.

I can imagine throngs of tween and teenage gathering all their nickels, dimes and allowance money to get the c.d. of "the new pop sensation," Britney Spears c.d. or begging their parents to buy it for their birthdays. Unsupecting parents probably fell for the old okey doke which marketing executives at the music labels are hoping for and the reason they put such unsupecting, innocent covers on the c.d. I mean, what could be wrong with an innocent teenage girl looking up into the camera with her wide, child-like big blue eyes? And then......... we have to think again.

Yes, the c.d. cover certainly seems innocent enough but what about the video? You can check it out here on youtube.com. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bsniYwSaWg But I have provided an actual picture clip so you can see the Catholic school girl outfit, (ripe for the perverts picking) she is dressed in. This supposedly "sexy" yet sneaky expression is enough to make your average pervert think of things that most perverted old men think of: scoring with some young, "hot and ready" sixteen-year-old girl. Yes, sadly that is exactly the image the marketing executives of your chidren's favorite stars want to portray. Some fantasy image of a young, underage girl ready for all the sexual thrills life has to offer. To think, some of you wondered why your middle-aged husbands, uncles and brothers loved to sit on the couch and watch MTV videos just as much as the kids! Ha, has NBC Dateline's, "How to Catch a Predator" taught us nothing?

Now, let's get back to Lynn Spears. What kind of mother would let her sixteen-year-old daughter parade with an image of a "Hot and Ready Catholic School Girl?" I can think one thought that rolled through her head as Britney prepped for her makeup and clothing right before the video shoot: "Show Me the Money.....and fame so I won't ever have to work another day in my life!" No good or decent parent wants their young daughter exploited in such a manner but unfortunately, this is becoming common place amongst most Hollywood parents. It is as if for some reason, they believe they can help their children exscape all the perils of hasbeen child actors before them.

Danny Bonaduce, Gary Coleman, Fred Saveage, Drew Barrymore, Macaulay Culkin, Cory Feldman have either become to big for the screen or been involved in some type of drug or alcohol substance abuse. As of late, we have the Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohans and Nicole Ritchies, who even though was never a child star was surrounded in an environment which promoted a laciviousness lifestyle. It is almost as if it is a rite of passage for childhood actors to go through hard core issues that the average teenager or young adult doesn't have to deal with, a rite that doesn't assure you life after the passage....at least life on this side of the spiritual world. This is something parents should not be willing to risk....the fact that your children may come up with a load full of issues that have to work through for the rest of their lives. Why not wait until they are at least through the young adult stage or somewhere near 18 if not already 18? Sure there are stable former childhood actors and actresses living today but more often than not, this isn't the case and in the words of Marvin Gaye, truly makes you ask, "What's Going On?"