Viewpoint by Ashley Bradley/ne news editor

Children are supposed to be the fruit of our lives, the reason to keep the world on track. They are not supposed to be tools to reach the fame their parents couldn’t.

I don’t keep up with TLC’s show Jon and Kate Plus 8, but anyone who pays any attention has heard about the family. Whether the dad is dropping the show or the two are fighting throughout the newest episode, these parents aren’t taking into account that their divorce proceedings, continuously splattered all over gossip magazines, is hard on their children.

All eight of them.

The latest publicity plea was from a family that did, or didn’t, lose a child in a hot air balloon. After authorities searched hours for little Falcon Heene, he miraculously was found hiding in the attic.

The family has already appeared on ABC’s Wife Swap. Can they just not get enough? Why do you need to use your children to get on TV?

No matter what this family was trying to accomplish, they did become the topic of discussion for about four days. Only problem is that the media discussed the family’s hoax, not how relieved they must feel that their little boy is still alive. Is getting your name on the front pages worth potentially being charged with a felony?

The opposite of parents possibly hiding kids in boxes is parents who throw their children on stage without thinking of the image it sends.

I don’t understand the importance of winning beauty pageants, let alone the importance of winning beauty pageants at 5. Some mothers spend years training their little girls to sing America the Beautiful perfectly while smiling their baby teeth and standing with good posture. This isn’t the bad part. Pounds of makeup and bathing suits that cover less area than those worn by supermodels make children look like mini-adults. 

Children are supposed to have fun, get dirty, get in trouble, learn new things. They are not supposed to do things just because their parents never could.

If you want to be on TV, OK. I wouldn’t be against it either. But please stop using your kids to do so.