BEING THE PARENT OF A CHILD ACTOR

As the mother of two child actors, people always ask me how I got my children into show business, and if I can help them get their child in as well. My daughter who is 9 now has been working as an actor since she was 25 days old. Her little sister, who is 7 years younger than her, is about to start her own acting career as well. It’s been a couple of years since I have become a “stage mother” and I have gained some experience that I can share with you if you are considering becoming one too.

1. Driving: You should be a good driver and you should never get tired of it. Even when you get stuck in traffic for hours, you should keep smiling and get going. Also, your child needs to be a good passenger. A whining and crying child who doesn’t like being driven around in a car might be a nightmare if you need to spend hours in traffic.

2. Electronic Hell: You should able to use electronic devices really well because you will be using them a lot. Apart from having to check your emails and messages very often, there will be days that you will have to do a “self-tape.” You must save it, use iMovie or something similar to edit it, then know how to upload it to a casting site.

3. Rejection: Can you handle it? Chances are your kid will be rejected at some point. If you cannot handle it, stay away from showbiz. This happens so much it becomes a painful routine. It happened to us recently 5 times in a row.