Justin Bieber has had a rough month. This week he was charged with assault after an alleged altercation with a limo driver in Toronto last month. This charge comes just a week after Justin was arrested in Florida for DUI, drag racing and resisting arrest. Oh, and he was also investigated this month for supposedly egging his neighbour's house. I can't help but shake my head in horror at Justin's recent behaviour and wonder if he's a prime example of why parents shouldn't let their kids become child stars. Justin is just one of many child stars who have spun out of control as an adult. The most famous example is Britney Spears who lost custody of her kids after having a mental breakdown. Amanda Bynes was arrested, hospitalized and sent to an inpatient mental health facility after months of clearly suffering from mental health issues. And of course there's Lindsay Lohan, who was been arrested many times and gone to rehab multiple times for addiction problems. I know it sounds harsh to say parents shouldn't let their kids pursue their dreams. Many parents probably cringe at the thought of trampling on their child's dream of being an actor or a musician. But at the same time I think I'd rather have my child wait till they're an adult to achieve their dreams than face the unfortunate consequences of being a child star. Fame and fortune can have a horrible effect on young minds. Actually I think the real source of the problem is all the freedom child stars have. At such a young age they essentially become independent. They make their own money. They have people working for them. And they often travel the world on their own. That's a lot of freedom for a child to have, especially when they lack maturity. I also think child stars believe they're invincible. And really who can blame them. Justin has young girls around the world completely in love with him and falling at his feet. He's a worldwide superstar. That level of fame would go to anyone's head. And when you're that famous you start to lose touch with reality. Again, that's understandable when everywhere you go you have bodyguards, you travel with a fleet of people at your beck and call and anywhere you go there are screaming girls waiting outside for you. You're essentially a king who easily forgets what "normal" is like because to you your crazy life is your normal. The problem is when child stars lose touch with reality they lose their understanding of what's right and wrong. For most child stars there is no right and wrong because they have a staff of people and fans giving them everything they want. That's why so many child stars start spinning out of control. I genuinely don't think Justin knows the difference between right and wrong, which is clear from the fact that after his first arrest he was seen hitting the beach with a model and after the second he was out partying —clearly not the behaviour of someone who is remorseful and thinking about they've done. I think Justin needs an intervention, but sadly, as is the case with many child stars, no one appears to be able to get through to him. I fear Justin's story will end similar to other child stars, with him in rehab or jail. Justin's a talented kid and I understand that he wanted to be a singer when he grew up, but I can't help but think maybe we should have let him actually grow up before he became a singer, then maybe his story would have ended differently. Would you let your child become a child actor or musician? Photo courtesy of Küñall/Wikimedia Commons