If you’re a follower of celebrity culture at all, you’re probably familiar with the well-trodden trope that child stars often have a tricky time transitioning into adulthood.
After all, there’s nothing easy about growing up in the public eye, and it certainly isn’t easier if you’re also trying to continue your childhood success as an adult.
Fortunately, for every troubled child star, there are tons of examples of children growing into adults in the limelight, and doing so with incredible grace and maturity.
Perhaps the most poignant contemporary example? Bindi Irwin, the teenaged daughter of the late “Crocodile Hunter,” Steve Irwin.
Despite losing her father under tragic circumstances as a child, Irwin has shown time and again that she has a sense of poise that belies her tender years, from her champion turn on Dancing With The Stars to her advocacy on behalf of wild animals.
The occasion of her 18th birthday was no exception. Irwin recently took to the social media platform Instagram to share a thoughtful meditation on age, adulthood, and her father’s impressive legacy.
Scroll through below to learn more about Bindi’s first days of official adulthood, and her plans for the future!
Thumbnail Photo Credit: Instagram/ bindisueirwin
Bindi Irwin is a poised, beautiful young woman who most recently made headlines for winning Season 21 of Dancing With The Stars.
Before she became known to a wider audience on DWTS, however, she was the bright, lively host of her very own kids' show, Bindi the Jungle Girl, where she introduced other kids to the wonders of the animal kingdom.
In fact, Irwin was born into the limelight, appearing on her father's famous nature show The Crocodile Hunter, from the age of 2 years old.
Bindi's parents, Steve and Terri Irwin, were famous for co-hosting The Crocodile Hunter, which was a nature documentary series that brought viewers all over the world up close and personal with some of the most fascinating and dangerous creatures in the world.
The series ran from 1996 to 2004, with the young international couple (Steve was Australian, Terri is American) introducing viewers to crocodiles, snakes, and other reptiles in the wild, and in their own conservation center, Australia Zoo.
In 2006, Steve Irwin passed away after being struck by a stingray in a shocking accident.
Little Bindi was just 8 years old when she lost her father, and suffered the additional challenge of being the well-known daughter of a bonafide celebrity lost too young.
Just two weeks after his death, Bindi stunned the world when she delivered a beautiful eulogy at her father's service, broadcasted on live television all around the world.
The little girl, who wrote the speech herself, delivered her words to 5,000 people in person, and 300 million watching around the world.
10 years later, Steve's daughter has lost none of her aplomb or graciousness.
On the occasion of her 18th birthday, she took to Instagram to deliver a few insightful words about her unusual life, her early loss, and the way forward.
As she says in her post:
“… So I think that I’ll start here, with this photograph… To be perfectly honest, life has changed in a million ways since this photograph was taken…
However, since this photo was taken, 18 years ago, one life ingredient has remained, unchanged, unbreakable. That is the unconditional love that is shared between my beautiful little family and the loyalty we have to each other and everyone else who has taken this journey with us…
I know that I am endlessly grateful for the love and light I have been given since Day 1 of my life…"
Shortly afterward, Bindi posted a follow-up to her first photo.
Where the first image showed the earliest days of her little family, before her little brother Bob was born and before her dad passed on, the second image shows Bindi as an adult.
Lying in the grass, cradling a tiger cub, this photo demonstrates young Bindi stepping into her father's shoes, and showing herself to be a fitting continuation of his incredible legacy.
While we have no doubt that Bindi will never forget the incredible man who gave her a start in the world of wildlife conservation, her birthday posts demonstrate just how ready she is to assume the Irwin mantle, and bring the family name and conservation efforts into their next exciting phase.
Below her photo with the tiger cub, she left the following message:
“I can’t predict what life will have in store for me. All I know is that I will try my very best to make a difference in this world with each moment that I’m given.
Life is constantly evolving and I'm determined to find the light and love around every corner and share this with everyone who is a part of my story…
I can't wait to see what is yet to come."
While we can't know for sure, we have no doubt that, somewhere, Steve is watching his young daughter take her first steps into adulthood with pride and approval.
For a father like Steve Irwin, there can't possibly be a better feeling than seeing that your little girl has grown up to be brave, caring, adventurous, hands-on, and insightful.
And we have no doubt that, like the rest of us, he can't wait to see what his amazing daughter does next!
If you're as impressed with Bindi as we are, please make sure to SHARE her sweet words with friends and family who know what it's like to overcome and achieve!
