Balancing Education, Work, and a Social LIfe as a Child Model
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The life of a child model can be really difficult, they have to go to auditions at random times, get critiqued, work hard, and have very little time to themselves. When adding that to their already stressful life of just being a kid and dealing with friends, school, sports, etc, it can be a lot of pressure to put on a child. Not many people have experienced this type of balancing act before, because usually when you’re a kid, you don’t normally have to work. You get to just be a kid. This is where as a parent you can help your child model remember that they are a kid and that their work life is separate from that.
There’s no right answer on how to find balance, but it is important that their lives feel as normal as possible even with the child model aspect of it. This will greatly impact their lives, and give them a childhood they will remember forever. Here are three aspects of their life you can focus on.
Education
Being a child model means meeting with child modeling agencies, auditions, rehearsals, and photoshoots. That’s a lot of time that will have to be spent out of the classroom. This can be a tough decision to make when your child’s career becomes a large part of their life. There are a few different options to consider when you’re thinking of how to maintain schooling, while missing time in a physical classroom. Homeschool is a great way to continue your child model’s education while having the flexibility to drive to auditions or photoshoots whenever you need. This takes a lot of effort on your part because you will either be the teacher or have to hire a homeschool teacher to work with. The other option would be to simply get the materials that they will miss from the teacher and have them complete it while they’re on the road. This takes a lot of dedication, but will be necessary the further they get into the modeling industry.
Work
Their work life will become a very important part of who they are. When you start working at such a young age it can instill a great work ethic that will be helpful in the future. However, there still needs to be a balance between their work and their home life. They’ll need to carve out time during the day to practice for auditions or rehearse lines which can take up a lot of time. You can always create time slots during the day that are “work” hours and the rest can be free time or homework time. This is a great way to teach them to schedule their own time to work on things outside of school, as well as balancing it with their schoolwork. The more they are able to balance their work the more successful they will ultimately be.
A quick note, if you’re looking to get your child into modeling, you’ll need to apply for a work permit, and have it be approved by your child’s school. The permit is given on the basis of academics, and if your child is lacking in any subject, they will not be granted the right to work. You can find more information here.
Social Life
This may be the most difficult part of balancing a child model’s career with their personal life. When they aren’t in school as often, they see their friends less and kids can be quick to forget or find new routines. It is important that whenever they have free days on the weekend, to connect with their peers and enjoy time away from the modeling industry and school. Having a positive social life motivates kids to be their best selves, and fills them with confidence. Nothing is better for a child model to have than confidence. It allows them to enter new situations with no fear, especially auditions. Their friends are like a battery charger, the more often they see them, the more energy they will have. Which is key to success in school and in modeling.
It is extremely important to make sure your child model balances their lives and does not go out of whack because they’re putting too much strain on one aspect. It is better to spread out their energy instead of focusing on one thing and losing the others. At Bensimon Models and Talent we make sure our models and parents understand this balance, and how achieving it will give you new levels of success.