I am sure by this point in time most of you have heard about the ‘Balloon Boy’ fiasco. I mean who hasn’t really; it has been all over the news everywhere! I know the day it happened, my Twitter BLEW up with everyone tweeting about it nonstop. Like everyone else in the world the thought of this little boy trapped in a balloon that was flying out of control was scary. It made my heart go up in my throat like a million times over. I hate hearing about children who are in dangerous situations, I adore children and believe with everything in me that they need to be just that children and live a carefree innocent life that isn’t burdened by adult problems. They need to be nurtured and valued. On that note, that thought that this “Balloon Boy’s” parents would intentional use their children for publicity and camera time is both sickening and disturbing. Is 15 minutes of fame really worth the welfare of your children? I don’t think so.

When you get more in-depth with the story and begin to see that the father was a reality show peddler and at one time was pitching a reality show about his children being storm chasers, it makes you wonder if he is indeed fit to be a parent at all. Isn’t it a parent’s goal in life to protect their children? Keep them safe? But in this case I don’t think it was this father’s goal. He has a selfish goal of his own to achieve. Cameras and the flashes of lights are what some people aspire to and they will do anything to achieve that no matter what the sacrifices. I mean in an interview with CNN that little boy said ‘we did it for the show’. I mean when a child is manipulated for an adult’s selfish gain it sickens me. The father used every chance he got to put himself and his family in front of any camera that would listen to their story. However, to hear that they are being investigated is a relief, because someone who uses their children needs to be looked into for the safety of their children and for their own sanity.

Of course there are numerous other parents that use their children. Now, I enjoy reality TV shows (A LOT – I’m an addict what can I say?), and I have been a fan of the TLC show Jon & Kate + 8 since it first hit the airwaves back in the day. However, at the same time as I enjoy the show I worry about those children. I mean the sextuplets have been in front of TV cameras since before they could walk. Their faces have been plastered all over mainstream television, now they are splashed on tabloids and in the center of a horrible media battle that their parents are waging against each other. As much as I love the show and those adorable children, when is enough ENOUGH? I have said it once and I’ll say it now for you all to read, the cameras needed to be turned off years ago and the children needed normality, maybe if that had happened the family would still be intact and none of this drama would have ensued. Adults can make their own decisions, albeit sometimes they aren’t always right, but children can’t do that for themselves. Sure, you can ask them, but are you really getting a proper answer? They don’t understand the concept of what is really happening around them; they just see the cameras and the lights and are fascinated by all new things around them.

Even though Jon has banned TLC from filming, I believe he has only done so for his own selfishness instead of the welfare of his children being his first concern like he was peddling to any talk show that would listen to him. I am glad that the cameras have stopped; this family needs time away from the media to just be a family. The children need to be just that, children with the freedom to do what they want and let themselves be carefree under the proper guidance of their parents and the adults in their life.

To conclude this, CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE. Their innocence needs to be protected by those of us that are supposed to take care of them and watch out for them. Let them be dependent on us, let them grow and learn under proper care and without the glare of a camera slapped in their faces or being pushed into some dangerous situation that has an entire world on the edge of their seat. They are our future, and we need to protect them.

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