Miley Cyrus Subject of Lawsuit: Parents Could Learn from Hannah Montana

Don't tell my heart, my achy breaky heart. I just don't think it'd understand. And if you tell my heart, my achy breaky heart. He might blow up and kill this man. If you follow country music you don't need me to tell you that's the chorus of Billy Ray Cyrus's 1992 smash hit Achy Breaky Heart. The catchy tune was a wildfire that tore through country music charts, gave new life to line dancing and made Cyrus a sensation of unique caliber.

Cyrus was hailed as the only threat to Garth Brooks who was sitting comfortably on the county music icon throne and irked Travis Tritt who yelled foul when the video depicted Cyrus singing before a large crowd. According to Tritt, the crowd tricked fans into believing Cyrus was already a star when in actuality the video was shot in Cyrus's hometown where turn out would be expected to be large.

Regardless of Tritt's opinion, Cyrus was indeed a star, one of mega-watt power. Yet, as is often the case of stars that burn too bright too fast, Cyrus faded from the country music scene, unable to live up to the hype and expectations that come with catapulting straight to the top.

Fast-forward fifteen years and the name Cyrus is again synonymous with star and common within households, especially those with pre-adolescent girls. This time, however, it isn't Billy Ray though he's certainly a portion of it. This star is his 14 year-old daughter, Miley. If you don't recognize the name Miley Cyrus, try her alter ego, Hannah Montana. Aah, now you know.

You don't need a twelve year-old girl to explain the popularity of Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus (this could get confusing). Cyrus is a teenage millionaire who has graced the cover of nearly every magazine, is the star of her own sitcom, can be found making rounds on the talk shows and is touring the country playing to sold out crowds at every venue. Thanks to some unscrupulous ticket scalpers Cyrus is now the target of a lawsuit from members of her fan club.

Miley's fortune comes to her not necessarily as a musician but rather a television show about a musician. Hannah Montana is the Nickelodeon tale of what can happen when an average teenager attends school then doubles as a teen pop star with only a handful of people knowing the secret.

Hannah Montana is a blonde who, as the theme song says, rocks out the show. Miley (her real name is used on the show) is a brunette who finds herself having to navigate the pitfalls all teens do, including annoying brothers, boy trouble and all that comes with middle school.

The show often spotlights how Miley has the ability at times to turn the adolescent tide and make her life easier. Such as when a popular girl at school, (Miley isn't counted among the "In Crowd") continually slams Miley. Miley intends to even the score when the girl wins a contest where the opportunity to sing with Hannah Montana is the prize. The girl is a huge fan of Hannah Montana, but is unaware her idol is in fact her nemesis she passes each day in the halls of their school. Miley and her friend plot revenge but in the end Miley's level head rules over her hormonal heart and she does the right thing.

When a new boy enrolls at Miley's school that is also a pop star and makes sure everyone knows it, she fumes as the boy is given special privileges and adoration. Miley has the ability to secure those same privileges if she reveals her alter ego. That, coupled with an overwhelming urge to bring the boy's ego embarrassingly into check, explores the issue of how far we'll go to produce good thoughts of us within the mind of another. Again, the right choice is made. These types of plot lines make Hannah Montana a hit with parents as well.

In the real world, Miley Cyrus is a girl who is as down-to-earth as her character on TV. Billy Ray, who also plays Miley's dad on the show, and his wife work hard to keep their daughter's focus on what's important. They've gone as far as any parent can, and further than most, to see that Miley is not the next Brittany Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton or other public train wrecks. Unfortunately, the controversy that prompted the filing of lawsuits was something neither Miley nor her parents could've anticipated or prevented, and stands in stark contrast to the message put forth by the program.

The Hannah Montana tour has sold out to record crowds in huge arenas across the country. And by sell-out I mean all tickets gone in four minutes. Until that point I don't think even the cash cows at Nickelodeon had a full appreciation of the show's fan base. Scratch the surface of this impressive event and you'll find a very ugly tale. As is always the case, lions lie in wait for lambs and the Internet only makes it easier for the lambs to fall. A great deal of tickets were purchased by scalpers rather than preteen girls desperately longing to see their idol. The scalpers are now selling thirty-dollar tickets for hundreds of dollars. Young girls across the country are literally heartbroken and crying over the injustice of it all.

Nothing enrages a parent more than seeing their child hurt. When it's a senseless pain, by stupid, selfish people that could've been avoided, the anger intensifies. That, combined with America's "lets sue everyone that brings us the least amount of unhappiness" philosophy and things go from bad to worse. For the record I too am a mother and I've been dealt some disappointments. Though I was fortunate enough to get a Tickle Me Elmo during that craze, that was not the case during the Toy Story hype. Despite doing everything in my power, I was unable to obtain what my oldest son wanted most that year Woody. I was heartsick knowing my little boy was in for a huge disappointment. But you know what? He got over it and I didn't have to sue anyone.

Before I proceed allow me to clarify, lest I get nasty emails from people who misunderstand my point. There is nothing more grotesque than abusing a child, be it emotional or physical. That is not the type of pain I'm referencing. I'm addressing your average "run of the mill type" painful disappointments, the kind of disappointing pain that is dealt from the deck of life.

Members of Miley's fan club are suing her on the basis that the website makes promises it's unable to keep. If only I had a quarter for every time someone in my life, including myself, hasn't lived up to my expectations I'd have more money than Bill Gates and Oprah combined. At any rate, members of the fan club were under the impression they'd get tickets no matter what. Personally, I place blame on parents not Miley Cyrus. First of all, every parent should clearly read ever letter of fine print involved in any area of their child's life, especially when their signing up for something on the internet. Secondly, parents have an obligation to their children to prepare them for life. Life is full of disappointments. Swooping in and fixing everything for the child or filing a lawsuit against what you can't fix is not helping kids one iota. In fact, it brings more harm to the child than the emotional setback suffered over lost concert tickets.

Not to mention the fact that the lawsuit is in direct opposition to the Hannah Montana show's message. Nearly every program is filled with coping with unexpected circumstances and unfair treatment. It makes no sense to sue a program centered on life not always working out because your life hasn't worked out. Instead of wasting time and tying up our already stretched legal system parents need to sit down and discuss the issue with their children. Ask them how they think Hannah Montana would respond. Would she hire an attorney? I think not. If you're not going to adhere to her standards, why are you fighting so hard to get tickets anyway?

The lengths some parents go to in order to prevent their children from enduring disappointment are ridiculous. Pain is life and life is a pain. But life is also beautiful and wonderful and intended to be lived. You can't swim the river of life from the safety of the shore. You've got to get involved, take some risks and yes get hurt in the process. But that hurt can be a beautiful thing if we learn and grow from it. How will we ever know what we're capable of withstanding or enduring if we're always sheltered from it? A worse question: what happens when the one that's doing all the sheltering is gone? It's a colossal mistake to believe that you'll shield your child from heartache while growing up and then someday he or she will suddenly become capable of shielding themselves. How is that ever going to happen?

You've invested a lifetime making certain your child doesn't have to deal with disappointments, so how on earth will they ever learn to cope? Life's not fair. It's messy and painful. Blame it on karma, luck or God but none of us escape this world unscathed. We must endure the valley of the shadow of death. It's cold down in the valley where the sun doesn't reach. It's harsh in the winter when the sun is farthest away. But as sure as the summer sun will shine again, so will you emerge from the valley a stronger version of yourself. That's what we must teach our children. To teach a child anything else is only setting him or her up for a nasty fall that you set into motion. It's not a matter of if pain comes again but when. The greatest joy is found in learning to endure the pains of life not avoid them; and to know that sometimes it's okay for our hearts to be achy breaky.