Permission to Post by Paul Petersen

We recently contacted Paul Petersen, a former child actor who is now an advocate for other child actors. Mr. Petersen is currently trying to get Jon and Kate Gosselin to realize the harm that can come to their children from living in front of the cameras. That is really what this blog wants more than anything, for the Gosselin children to have the chance at a normal childhood. I for one would like to thank Mr. Petersen for his attention to this subject and for all he does for the children!
Please check out his website... A Minor Consideration at http://www.minorcon.org/

Mr. Petersen granted us permission to post the following article.


Time to Exit, Jon & Kate

August 27, 2008

The future of the “Plus Eight” is the real issue, Jon and Kate, and it’s time for you to listen. Your children are changing right before our eyes, and all of the changes aren’t healthy.

Consider us your Fire Alarm. The “former kid stars” that belong to AMC know this world better than anyone. We were very tolerant when “Jon and Kate + 8” first started, intrigued and sympathetic as we witnessed a loving mad house struggling to cope with an almost unimaginable blessing.

But, you know the old curse, “Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it.” Raising children is not theater, and we don’t care how much money is on the table. Little kids need secrets and silences, especially as they enter the world of schooling and making new friends.

Please examine the motives of all the people who give you advice and stand to make a buck off your children…including yourselves…especially you two. Not all change is good. For those of us who know what to look for, Fame has a subtle but corrupting effect on everyone it touches, and it has touched your children…and you.

It’s not too late to limit the damage. Remove the cameras from your house, dismiss the film crew and tell them thanks. Whatever deals you have made can be undone, and we have the lawyers to help you. Disavow any and all contracts.

What started as a documentary has turned into dangerous distortion of childhood, parenting, and what passes for acceptable risk in the age of the Internet. The bulls-eyes you have painted on the foreheads of your children will only grow larger with time.

Parenting is not now nor has it ever been a spectator sport.



Mr. Petersen also wrote us the following.

I have attached a companion piece in hopes that Jon & Kate will soon realize that they have involved their children in a process they do not understand.

It’s the Process, Jon & Kate
Our unedited letter to the Los Angeles Times regarding the theatrical release of “Hound Dog.”

Dear LA Times (Susan King),

I expect more of Hollywood's hometown newspaper than providing cover for Industry apologists. We make movies here, Susan, and we understand the process, which begins with “the script.” A schoolteacher who presented this “Hound Dog” script to a 6th grade class would almost certainly be terminated and probably prosecuted. Dakota Fanning spent 7 weeks in North Carolina doing this film...seven weeks of living this part. It's the process, Susan, involved in making of a film like this to which we object. Who is going to protect Dakota in the years to come?

Parents who put their children up for sale are not to be trusted (are you listening, Lynne Spears?). Writers who claim 1st Amendment rights but have to hire a child to act out their fantasies are just not covered by the Amendment, Susan. The impact of the process on children is not what it is for adults. North Carolina has no laws to protect kids in Entertainment, and their film commission brags about this absence. That's why edgy films like "Bastard out of Carolina," "Lolita (the 2nd one)," and "Firestarter" with the very young Drew Barrymore were shot in that state. Of course, you can't break a law when none exists, can you?

What's happened to the footage that was shot but doesn't appear in this version of "Hound Dog?" Can you imagine the internet trade and predictable YouTube videos when the “bonus footage” is added to the sure-to-come DVD? Heavily-edited footage means that there is more to this experience than will ever be seen, yet Dakota was there, Susan. She did the work, acted out the part, and she was not yet a teenager! Look at the person beneath the character, please. Consider the history of Jodie Foster whose stalker nearly killed our President, or Brooke Shields who was the victim of a stalker for nearly 20 years. Think about the internal workings of a gifted young actress whose job is to make you "believe." Can you understand how in the process of making the role real this young actress might be affected? Do you have any idea what this sort of notoriety can bring…forever?

Dakota Fanning will be affected by this experience her entire life, believe me. We must be more careful with our children. The process can be lethal, and for Dakota this film will attract entirely the wrong kind of attention.

It's Show Business, Ms. King...not Show Art.

Sincerely,
Paul Petersen,
Founder,
A Minor Consideration
www.minorcon.org