Child modeling can be a great learning and work experience – not to mention lots of fun – for children. However, oftentimes parents embark on this jou...
Child modeling can be a great learning and work experience – not to mention lots of fun – for children. However,
oftentimes parents embark on this journey for the wrong reasons and without fully understanding what a kid’s modeling career entails.
Below are five warning signs the child modeling industry isn’t right for you or your child. If any of them apply to you, perhaps it’s time to do a bit more research or forgo the idea altogether.
Sign #1: You aren’t comfortable with child modeling.
Without child models, advertising for children’s toys, clothing, and food products would drastically change; still, not all parents are comfortable with allowing their children to work as child models.
If you aren’t comfortable with your child working as a model, consider researching the industry before you make a final decision. If after learning more about the child modeling industry you still don’t feel comfortable, then perhaps it’s not for you.
Sign #2: Your child isn’t comfortable with modeling.
Regardless of whether you are comfortable with child modeling, you shouldn’t expect your child to model unless he wants to. You might be the one in charge of finding him agency representation, picking out his wardrobe, and driving him to and from casting calls and photo shoots, but ultimately your child is the model. Your child is doing the work. If he doesn’t enjoy it, there’s no reason to do it.
Sign #3: Making money is more important than your child’s happiness.
Obviously children make money when they work as models, and this money can go toward a wide assortment of good uses. Your child’s paychecks can give him a head start on learning how to manage money, as well as help him begin saving for big ticket items that come later in life such as first cars and a college education.
However, if money is the only reason you want to help your child get started as a model, the child modeling business isn’t for you. Both you and your child need to want your child to work as a model because of the fun he can have, lessons he can learn, and experience he can gain. If money is the only driving force, you’re setting yourself and your child up for a miserable time.
Sign #4: You want it more than your child wants it.
Perhaps both you and your child are interested in the child modeling business, and maybe you’re just a tiny bit more interested because you want your child to succeed at whatever he sets out to do; however, if you want your child to become a model significantly more than he wants to model, this isn’t the business for you.
At the same time, if you’re encouraging your child to become a model because you wanted to be a model – in other words, if you’re trying to live vicariously through your child – chances are neither one of you will enjoy the experience in the end.
Sign #5: You aren’t willing to research the child modeling business.
If you and your child are serious about getting into the modeling industry, then you must be just as serious about learning about the industry. Finding working and preparing your child for modeling jobs requires more than just having a kid and driving him to the studio. There are scams to avoid, quality agents to find, portfolios to create and maintain, and a healthy lifestyle to balance.
