The Biggest Reason Why I Will NOT Get My Child Into Show Business

I have a very lively, funny, adorable and precocious six-year old daughter named Willow who would make for a terrific child actress in commercials, television, modeling or even in movies. People have often asked me when I am going to get her into "show business".

I have been secretly following several Pacific Northwest-based casting agencies on Facebook, but let me tell you why I will NOT be jet setting off to get my child signed up anytime in the near future.

The Hollywood and entertainment industry is ripe with corruption and sexual predators. We have always known that, even if we haven't admitted that out loud. The term "casting couch" isn't a myth, after all. There's always been rumors of certain actresses (and actors) only getting big roles in movies because they had to sleep with producers and directors and agents. The recent news about Hollywood heavy-weight, Harvey Weinstein, and others has made me shudder even further at the thought of getting my daughter exposed to the Hollywood lifestyle.

Don't even get me started on what typically happens to child actors/actressess! Most end up having troubled teenage and adult years and they end up on drugs, doing pornos, and/or hating their parents so much that they get emancipated. (Remember what happened to Aaron Carter, Drew Barrymore and Amanda Bynes and the girl who played 'Judy Winslow'?)

That is not to say that all childhood stars end up crazy. Some end up with their own franchises and become elusive multi-millionaires (like The Olsen Twins and Raven Symone) but they grow up with body image issues and troubled love lives.

This is the biggest reason why I did never have gotten my daughter signed up with a talent agent. I don't want my daughter to grow up in that environment. I want her to have a normal childhood away from the vultures and predators in the industry. Perhaps when she is older and has graduated high school she can pursue becoming a professional actor, but until then, she will always be a star in my book, with or without Hollywood!