PARENTS LAUGH AT HER ACTING DREAMS

Dear Jellybean,

I really need help. More than anything i want to be an actress. for a while now I've been wanting to do this. It's something i think i can really get a lot out of. I managed to tell my mom this and all she could do was laugh. I'm not the most out going person. but i really think i can do this, because i want it so badly. my parents don't understand that this is what i really want to do. I still plan on going to collage or university. but i want to be actress aswell. Please help me to talk to my parents and make them understand this is really what i want to do. thank you!

Dear Writer,

Parents sometimes tend to ignore or belittle what their kids say, and only pay attention to what their kids do. So my advice to you is, instead of talking to your parents about your dreams of becoming an actress, SHOW them - by doing school plays and maybe getting involved in community theatre productions. Follow your heart and do the acting thing... and impress your parents with your talents when you get a chance to show them off in a production! But also work really hard and get great grades in school. If you need a reason to do that, here's why:

Your parents probably think of acting as a dead end job... and for many people, that's what it is. A lot of people aspire to become actors and actresses, but forget that it is an extremely competitive occupation, and there are a lot of people just like them who want the same job. There are only a few stars, but there are millions of actors in the world! So your parents don't want to see you stuck in a career where you end up waitressing your whole life, waiting for your big acting break. They want to see you earning a good living and being successful and independent.

If you do well in school, and pursue a "backup" career at the same time you pursue acting, then you always have something solid to fall back on if the acting thing doesn't work out. Maybe you love writing - you could be a journalist, or a creative writing teacher. Or maybe you love fitness, and you would make a great physiotherapist. If you're into making web pages, there may be a future "backup" career for you in web design. Try to pick a backup career that has good job prospects and will be something you would enjoy.

Once you've made your decision about your "secondary" career, you can tell your parents you still want to act, but you're also committed to becoming (whatever career you choose) so you'll always have a backup. That might make them feel more assured about your acting dreams, it will certainly make them glad to know you're thinking ahead to a so-called "real" job.