Is It Beneficial in the Long Run?

I've always sort of felt sorry for children like Connie Talbot (up and running Britain's Got Talent - takeoff of American Idol - star) and Dakota Fanning (I am Sam, War of the Worlds, Charlotte's Web).

Even though I'm in the Childhood and Social Institutions program at Kings, which talks quite a bit about "empowering" children, so to speak, I've always thought that children should keep some of their "innocence" (when they're not being little terrors). I mean, there are certain things children should experience, (IMO) and certain things they shouldn't. Is fame and fortune and working full time as an actor at the age of 5 one of them?

We have laws against child labour and regulations regarding child work, but for some reason, there don't seem to be many regulations re: children and movies. Hm... maybe that's because the producers can make money off them (another post, I'm sorry). I mean, Dakota Fanning has worked since she was 3, and has been conducting herself like an adult (not to mention taking adult roles in R rated movies) since she was like, 6. I'm not saying being mature and conducting yourself in a polite manner is a bad thing, but is it a good thing to lose some of the most foundational years of your life? Is there such a thing as growing up too fast?

Don't think I'm judging Dakota Fanning... (or should I say, Dakota's mother who would allow her daughter to star in rape scenes at the age of 10), I'm just more wondering about the wisdom in getting children into the celebrity business so early. I mean, you can see what happened to Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, ... the list is endless.

So my question is this: what do you think about child actors?

Also: Are child actors like Dakota Fanning allowed to watch the R rated movies they star in? Something to think about.

Retail

Sorry for the lengthy delay. With working 2 jobs (one being 40 hours a week) plus babysitting, I've been a tad busy. Not to mention I shouldn't talk about what goes on at TD (for privacy and customer courtesy reasons), so I haven't had much to post.

This comic is probably one of the best comics I've ever read. Okay, that's not true. But if you have worked in retail, you're going to understand where I'm coming from.

Note: click on the images to make them bigger (aka: legible)

Customer A: It's not about giving you a good deal. It's about us making money. Sorry to break it to you.
Customer B: It's first come first serve. And no, we don't save Christmas stuff in the back so we can sell it to you at half price on Boxing day. That's not how it works. Again, sorry to break it to you.
Customer C: I'm sorry, but we actually can't take the tills out and start counting until you're out of the store.

(Note: I used one of these on Saturday)

Hahaha... okay, okay... So it doesn't make any sense if you've never worked in retail. But if you have, it's definitely amusing... and SO true.