On Friday, all of our figurative tiaras were smashed when TLC’s “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” was cancelled — not because the world was bored by Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson’s pageant-y antics, but because the network is “faithfully committed to the children’s ongoing comfort and well-being.”
Rewind to Thursday, when TMZ reported Thompson’s mother, June “Mama June” Shannon, rekindled a relationship with a convicted child molester.
While Shannon denies this relationship, TMZ posted a photo of Shannon interacting with 53-year-old Mark McDaniel.
It’s no secret that reality TV shows can change the way people — especially children — behave. But though these changes are almost inevitable, it’s up to the child’s parents to control how far these changes go. It’s the parents’ responsibility to make sure their children are safe in the limelight.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West allegedly paid $500,000 for a body double for baby North so she wouldn’t be hounded by the press. The couple also chooses to limit North’s airtime on “Keeping up with the Kardashians.” Whatever you have to say about Mr. and Mrs. West, they clearly have their daughter’s best interests at heart.
“Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,” unlike “Keeping up with the Kardashians,” isn’t centered around the family — it focuses on Alana. Instead of watching to see the way an entire family operates, viewers watch the show to experience her snarky attitude and to have a laugh at her rolling in the mud while wearing a pageant dress that undoubtedly costs hundreds of dollars.
In the past, Mama June has told the media that she puts away Alana’s earnings and doesn’t use them for daily life. But it’s plain to see that Alana is being harnessed — even exploited — for the sake of a half hour a week TV spot.
It really comes down to using good judgment when it comes to parenting, and parents must decide how much is too much for the children of reality TV.
The Duggars, of “19 Kids and Counting” fame, show all 19 of their children on screen, but none of them — as far as I know — has been harmed in the making of the show. Sure, some may see Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar’s methods of raising their children to be extreme in a modern age, but it definitely doesn’t seem starring in a TV show has changed the path of the Duggar children’s lives.
On the other hand, reality TV child stars like Milania Giudice — famous because of her “Real Housewife of New Jersey” mother, Teresa Giudice — have been severely affected by staying in the public eye. Smarting off to her parents and other adults, fame has gone to Milania’s carefully-primped head, making her feel better than all other 8-year-olds.
But with parents like Teresa and Joe Giudice, Milania’s attitude doesn’t come as much of a surprise. The reality stars will serve 15 and 41 months, respectively, for federal fraud charges.
Mama June is no better of a parent for renewing relations with a convicted child molester. Putting your child in that sort of situation is nearly as bad as neglect, and if TLC thought it was bad enough to merit cancelling your daughter’s show — and her livelihood, for that matter ­— then you probably need to rethink your current love interest.
All parenting situations are going to be different, but even with the added stress of appearing on a reality TV show, parents should have their child’s best interest at heart — not their child’s paycheck.
Rebecca Docter is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from Jackson, Mississippi. You can reach her on Twitter @therealbecksss.