Gabriella, or Vanessa?

I've been thinking about this story all day long. What do we say to our young HSM fans if they catch wind of this rather large error in judgement of their favorite young star? Well, to begin with, we have to remind them that while Vanessa plays a high school girl on tv, she is far from a girl. In reality, she is an adult. A young one for sure, but an adult none the less. And, we have to drive the point home that these pictures are clearly of Vanessa and not Gabriella. This is about reality, not HSM.

So, I have to agree with Disney in backing her. She may not be in college, but she is college age. How many dumb things did we all due at 19? I won't rattle off my list but I do have one, and I know you do, too! So, let's give her a teeny break because our kids will have a similar list at 19 years of age as well and we'll need to hope that someone gives them a break when the time comes, as well as their loving parents.

More than just being at the age for stupid young adult tricks, she owned her behavior with a healthy amount of grace and maturity. I'm impressed by that and I would think Disney and her parents would be, too. So, as a role model, she stepped up rather impressively. Given how many young adult stars these days are truly behaving badly in recent times and not taking ownership, it is refreshing to have one finally say "hey, that was me and I'm sorry." (BTW, I'm not going to name names or provide links to the young adults starts behaving badly I just referred to - enough press has gone that way already!)

So, what do you tell your kids about this mess? I'd suggest the truth - that Vanessa did indeed make a stupid mistake but took ownership and will hopefully learn from that mistake. You explain that someday they will do similarly dumb things at that age and all any of us can do is learn and move on, gracefully. Then, point out a few of the stars behaving badly as comparison to drive the point home! Again, I just can't link or name names...my fingers just won't let me do it but I know you know who to use as examples.

What do you say if your kids ask why she took the pictures? That is a tough one. For the typical HSM viewer, stick with "to be silly" or "to have fun". But, if your child is a teen, let's be honest - your child, your teen, knows exactly why those pics were taken. Don't dodge the questions, just be there to answer them and don't be surprised if you learn your teen and friends have found the picture on line. It is readily available on very regular web sites and I understand very portrait-like, so don't panic. We're not talking porn here at all.

One thing I will say about the crew Disney has assembled for HSM, they do seem to have enough maturity to carry themselves well even in the face of scruitiny. Time will tell but this is already becoming yesterday's news and I doubt it will damage the HSM mega hit one iota! Afterall, HSM 3 is already being planned....

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