I’ve been told that I need to get my kids into modelling because they are just so beautiful. While I emphatically agree that they are the most beautiful things on the face of the planet, (and no I don’t think I’m biased in the slightest bit), child modelling has always kind of freaked me out a bit. Seth and I briefly discussed it, and I put it out of my head. Until I saw these…
We were bathing Knox and Riya just totally stole the show (until she started creaming the dining room chairs with aqueous cream). How beautiful is this kid?!
So I know that I am totally biased and to me our kids truly are the most adorable beings on the planet but what if other people saw the beauty in them too? Could it work for them? To be honest I’m really not sure how I really feel about it… Here are my thoughts and I would really welcome yours too especially if you have explored your options with regards to your kids.
What am I getting them into? This is huge for me. This industry is renowned for making people not love themselves for who they are just because they don’t fit the anorexic model criteria. I don’t want to make my children even more exposed to this than they would already be, by just picking up a magazine. That being said, it may open up even more opportunities to talk to them about how imperfect the world is and how God loves us regardless of this.
What about exposure? We’ve all heard stories about kids being in situations that no one should ever find themselves in. Or what if you don’t agree with a particular advert? Would this be exposing them to this? To be honest I don’t think so. I would never let anyone of them out of my sight and I would personally take them to each and every casting.
What will this do to their personality? This is a hard one. Both girls are quite painfully shy. Maybe it will bring them out of their shells a bit. I would try my very best to not make them full of themselves.
I really don’t know though. I feel like I need to at least have explored it as an option and if it doesn’t work then so be it. All funds that they earn will be put into an account for them to use later in life so I’m not doing this for me. I have checked our a website of quite a well known agent in Cape Town and it looks very respectable although according to their frequently asked questions it could be a lot of hard work.
If you have any experience in this, then please let me know!
6 comments
you seem to be pro-modelling, so just try it. take them to an agency and get pics taken, then you can see how they react to other photographers. I didn’t enjoy the little bit of modelling I did, but I hate being photographed, and hated ramp modelling even more. You know I wouldn’t let my kids do it but I hate the whole industry and it messed with my self-image, plus I don’t lus to take them to castings. Just try it, maybe they’ll love it and be great 🙂
Nay 🙂 while there is nothing fundamental wrong with being a child model there are just too many pitfalls to make it worth the risk imo. When mine were littlies and I considered this question I realized that my own sinfulness was wrapped up in it all: pride and greed were the two motivating factors once I peeled away my justifications. It was just not something that I felt I could, in good conscious, pursue. Added to that, the time it takes for castings and recasting and shoots and more is time consuming and fuels cranky kids and impatient mom syndrome. Now lots of things in life fuel that, so it’s worth asking which cranky-inducing tasks are essential and which are satisfying a more carnal desire. My caveat on all of this is prayerfully examine YOUR heart. Mine was putrid with sin when I examined it wrt this issue. But your heart is not my heart. 🙂
Hey Cindy
I went through the same wrestle in my heart.
But I came to a place (like you) why not try it and see what happens.
I put Aislyn into it for a season (I’d do it again because she loves it) and when I did, she loved it (she was 2 at the time) and that was my main gauge-if she didn’t like it then I didn’t force her to do it and I made sure that the photographers knew that I wasn’t going to force her to do anything she didn’t want to do. They’re professional enough to adapt and change for the concept.
YOu do get a small intro into what the job is and so you won’t expose them in any way at all. My advice would be, trust your children’s perceptive natures. They normally can tell you when they are uncomfortable and that is a great sign on whether to do it or not. You know your child and you will know if she loves it or not-it should always be fun and you’ll know if it becomes work or not.
Be willing to drop our schedules or routines for long days and mornings with photo shoots. So a great support system for baby sitting etc.
Also (lastly) chat to them about it, let them tell you what they think about a stranger taking a picture of them-you’ll always be there, but they can express their understanding of it and what they like and don’t like.
I hope this helps.
I would do it again in a heart beat.
Corne and I also had this discussion about modelling for Leah and decided that for us it was not the right thing. Pretty much the same reasons Taryn gave. Although it would be great to have the extra cash to put away in Leah’s savings account, for us it just didn’t seem like something we as a family would consider. (Nothing against anyone else who chooses to do it, just for us it was not the right choice).
I do think though that if you do choose to go ahead with it, you need to perhaps set boundaries where you say so much and no more no matter how enticing the offer might seem. By this I mean, castings and shoots are fantastic but when it starts to eat away at precious family time there should be a limit. Kids aren’t always going to co-operate and when it seems like more stress than fun, then a decision should be made. I know though by reviewing modeling contracts that the agencies do tend to be very clever in their contracts, putting in clauses where they can charge YOU should you back out or your child not able to fulfill their part of the deal. Just be aware of this and go over the contract with fine tooth comb. It’s a great question that you have asked and hope all these comments are helpful 🙂
Hey Cindy,
I’m also definitely on the Nay side. I think most mums had to think about this issue at some point or another because it can seem so tempting. Don’t we all think that our kids are just so beautiful and extra money to pay for their future studies would be welcomed too! But as my kids grow up, I realise more and more how difficult it is for me and for them to train their heart to not desire the things of this world: fame, money, love of self, wanting to be number 1… I realise that the things we can avoid being exposed to, I want to avoid them. Those that we can’t, we have to deal with them and train the kids’ hearts and minds to say no to them – and ours too, reminding them at every opportunity that our significance and worth comes from who we are in the Lord, and not from the things we achieve or the way we look. It’s not easy, given the time we live in!!
You should try and chat to Cheryl maybe. I’m sure that she would have really good insight into the question, given her job field. 🙂
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