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I was forced to be a child star. It was never my dream or my idea

wilwheaton.net

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Re: I was forced to be a child star. It was never my dream or my idea

#11

Post by manmal »

irjustin wrote: post #8

Wow Will was such a part of my childhood watching Star Trek. Obviously, he didn't appear often but he was memorable simply because there were so few people as young as him on the show. Sad to hear this all around. This also brought back memories of me being required to play piano growing up. I hated piano, performing (recitals), playing in general. I was terrrribbleee (still am) and was put up in lessons for 12 years…

Clarification: I‘m talking about self-actualization & leisure time here, not chores.

> What is a healthy amount of pushing vs too much?

There is no healthy amount of pushing, period. If you stop applying pressure, children will find their own thing, and that’s the best outcome for them. Just make sure they know the possibilities of what they could do.

What would you have liked to do instead of learning piano? Did you need pressure from your parents to have those ideas?

I asked my parents for a keyboard. My mother said that I‘d need to learn piano first - so I agreed to take lessons instead. 8 years later, I gave up on piano lessons, with no keyboard in sight. Haven’t touched the piano since. I wonder what would’ve happened if they had just bought me that cheap keyboard instead.

Re: I was forced to be a child star. It was never my dream or my idea

#13

Post by BarryMilo »

patmcc wrote: post #7

I really wouldn't be surprised if 30/40/50 years from now "child stars" will seem as absurd and barbaric as child labor in general does today. It just seems so terrible and exploitative in so many cases.

People don't want to believe. I try to explain to my friends why I won't watch anything with children as prominent characters, but they generally don't want to hear it, because "Stranger Things is so good" or something.

Hollywood is the land of depravity and abuse. It's no place for children.

Re: I was forced to be a child star. It was never my dream or my idea

#14

Post by obiefernandez »

manmal wrote: post #11
irjustin wrote: post #8

Wow Will was such a part of my childhood watching Star Trek. Obviously, he didn't appear often but he was memorable simply because there were so few people as young as him on the show. Sad to hear this all around. This also brought back memories of me being required to play piano growing up. I hated piano, performing (recitals), playing in general. I was terrrribbleee (still am) and was put up in lessons for 12 years…

Clarification: I‘m talking about self-actualization & leisure time here, not chores. > What is a healthy amount of pushing vs too much? There is no healthy amount of pushing, period. If you stop applying pressure, children will find their own thing, and that’s the best outcome for them. Just make sure they know the possibilities of what they could do. What would you have liked to do instead of learning piano? Did you…

I wish my parents had pushed me to practice piano. They subjected me to lessons for almost 2 years, and I didn't mind (although the 30 minute drive each way to the teacher's house sucked.) However, between lessons instead of practicing I would just fck off and improvise and try to teach myself popular songs instead of actually practicing, and I'm not talking about hours each day either, maybe more like a few minutes. Which meant it was all a collossal waste of time and money.

Parents sometimes need to push their kids.

Re: I was forced to be a child star. It was never my dream or my idea

#15

Post by mavhc »

BarryMilo wrote: post #13
patmcc wrote: post #7

I really wouldn't be surprised if 30/40/50 years from now "child stars" will seem as absurd and barbaric as child labor in general does today. It just seems so terrible and exploitative in so many cases.

People don't want to believe. I try to explain to my friends why I won't watch anything with children as prominent characters, but they generally don't want to hear it, because "Stranger Things is so good" or something. Hollywood is the land of depravity and abuse. It's no place for children.

And Stranger Things isn't good, it's just a mashup of 80s films that are at least twice as old as the actors, no original ideas at all.

The problem is more celebrity rather than the filming process. Make it illegal to report any "news", ie gossip, about anyone under 18 for a start.

Re: I was forced to be a child star. It was never my dream or my idea

#16

Post by jay_kyburz »

manmal wrote: post #11
irjustin wrote: post #8

Wow Will was such a part of my childhood watching Star Trek. Obviously, he didn't appear often but he was memorable simply because there were so few people as young as him on the show. Sad to hear this all around. This also brought back memories of me being required to play piano growing up. I hated piano, performing (recitals), playing in general. I was terrrribbleee (still am) and was put up in lessons for 12 years…

Clarification: I‘m talking about self-actualization & leisure time here, not chores. > What is a healthy amount of pushing vs too much? There is no healthy amount of pushing, period. If you stop applying pressure, children will find their own thing, and that’s the best outcome for them. Just make sure they know the possibilities of what they could do. What would you have liked to do instead of learning piano? Did you…

I have a 10 and an 8 year old, and I don't agree that kids will find their own thing. I have to apply a fair amount of pressure to get 20 minutes of reading homework on school nights. I even have to apply some pressure to get them to put their laundry in the basket and put their clean clothes away.

There are heaps of things that just aren't that fun but that are actually important.

Re: I was forced to be a child star. It was never my dream or my idea

#17

Post by jazzythom »

My parents pushed me hard, but sent me to a liberal arts school, and I’m hardwired for engineering. Hilarity ensued. The grinding of gears was a memory I would pay to erase. Deeply resent spending hours every day learning languages for countries I had no interest in visiting and how glaciers formed. What a waste of my finite precious time. If only I could go back I’d run out the gate and get on a train never to be seen again.

I feel his resentment, but not sure if airing that on TV is rational, although it’s his right.

Re: I was forced to be a child star. It was never my dream or my idea

#19

Post by sircastor »

Having read a number of his essays and books, I had no idea he felt this way. We get such limited windows into people’s lives and build whatever narrative around it.

I’m impressed by the courage to share something like this. It’s a lot to express and undoubtedly he’s going to get a lot of flak for it. I hope he’s healing though.

Re: I was forced to be a child star. It was never my dream or my idea

#20

Post by cryptonector »

carrolldunham wrote: post #5

It feels obvious now that kids should not be on tv at all, by the same logic that they can't consent to sex. They can't consent to the huge ramifications of public exposure.

Often child actors are sexually abused, too.
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