I was a Child Actor

I was interested in acting and entertainment at a very young age. My father (with whom I have not spoken since New Year's Eve 2002) was an actor and his parents were clowns. My grandmother always told me stories about how her parents and grandparents were on Vaudeville. i remember going to my father's plays and watching him on television. The only project I really remember him doing was "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" at a dinner theatre. Everything else is a blur.

I loved what my dad did, though. My mom, who was an art teacher, didn't want me to follow the career he chose. And, who could blame her? My father eventually abandoned his family and went to Los Angeles in search of fame and fortune-- neither of which ever came. Even though he was gone by the time I was eight years old, I still wanted to act. I loved being in front of people. I loved pretending to be someone that I wasn't. I loved the cameras. I loved the attention. (Heck, I still do.)

Unfortunately, child actors and their parents are judged by people that don't know any better. The fact that Helen Hunt said that a set is "a very adult place to be" indicates to me that she either shelters her daughter, doesn't explain things to her and/or is insecure in her mothering skills that her daughter will pick up habits or see things on set that are "wrong". Never did I ever let anyone on set or in a stage production influence me. Ever. And my mother was always there to make sure that I made the right choices and did the right things. The only thing I ever disagreed with was when I was in "Mary Poppins" at Gateway Playhouse in New York and they had a midnight rehearsal. At age 15, I was one of the older kids in the cast. However, there were children as young as seven. Why in the world would a theatre have a midnight rehearsal? Furthermore, we were told that if we didn't show up, we wouldn't be in the show. My mother said a few choice words to the director, and that was it. After the run of the show, I never did another Gateway production.

In 1993, I was on "The New Mickey Mouse Club". The audience was filled with children and teenagers. The green room was huge and had tons of kid-related stuff to do. That is also where the parents hung out. The dressing rooms weren't private, where kids could get in trouble. There was a classroom on set so that lessons could be learned by the private teachers.

When I was on "Malcolm in the Middle" in 2003 (as Big Wanda in the episode "Reese's Party"), I was fortunate enough to meet Frankie Muniz, Justin Berfield, Erik Per Sullivanand their parents. Their parents were never far from the children. The characters that appeared as under sixteen on the show that did risque things were actually over 18 years of age, but cast because they looked youger than 16. There was never any danger. There was a classroom on this set as well, so that kids didn't miss their lessons.

There are tons of rules and regulations in place from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and theAmerican Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) to protect children. Child actors are only allowed to work a certain number of hours per day. Whenever a child actor is on set, they must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Furthermore, the cast and crew that are on set while a child is on set are very conscious of the child, and behave appropriately. If they don't, it is the parent's job to say something.

I have twins. I love my twins. My twins, a boy and a girl, are both beautiful and smart. Plus, they are little hams. At three years old, they love being the center of attention. They have appeared on camera for my television show (which is in development) "Wedding Lane with Candy Cain". Yes, I am protective of my children, but not because of what they will encounter on set. The only thing that concerns me about my children being on camera are the crazies that may see them and want to try to take them. As a teenager, I was stalked because of my modeling and acting. I would never want my kids to go through that. Thankfully, my husband is a police sergeant and there are plenty of anti-stalking laws now that I would use in a heartbeat.

Besides the playroom in your house, where is a place for a child? Kids get kidnapped from playgrounds-- It is a hunting ground for pedophiles. They get shot at school-- Have you heard of the recent school shootings? They get hurt at sports practice-- Some even die from over-exertion. Exactly what is Hunt afraid that her child would encounter on set? Why is it "a very adult place to be"? Why don't you ask Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Duggar about very adult places?

A set is where they make magic, where people turn into characters, where situations are transported to distant lands. Movie sets are a world of make-believe, where stories are created. More often than not, children are a part of these stories. If there were no child actors, we would not have great movies such as "Charlie & The Chocolate Factory", "To Kill a Mockingbird" and even the more recent "Harry Potter" series. It is the parents' responsibility to make sure that their child is safe, and to speak up for their child if they are not happy with the working condition. If you feel that you cannot do this, then you shouldn't get your child involved in the entertainment industry. After all, it's the parents' job to raise their children, not the director's.