Parenting is a completely complicated process. Sure, we all make it through with the help of our co-parents, families, friends, and the professionals who light up our children's days. But under the best of circumstances, parenting can feel really hard and overwhelming.
Now, imagine parenting in the spotlight. It's the reality of an increasing number of people in today's world. For some, fame comes as a result of their parenting. Think of moms like Kate Gosselin and Nadya Suleman, for example.
Nadya became famous for giving birth to octuplets in January 2009. The octuplets brought Nadya up to 14 children, which sounds like complete chaos to most people. Certainly, her choice was unusual, but it was also unusual to see the public so deeply invested in and, to a degree, angered by a woman's decision to have and raise children on her own. Nadya received death threats and was constantly condemned for her family being a burden on the public assistance system.
Nadya's experience isn't the only example of the ugly side of parenting in the spotlight. Even for established public figures, the experience could prove difficult. Many people weren't aware that Anna Nicole Smith was a mom when she became a famous model and bona fide sex symbol. Anna Nicole was just 18 when she had son Daniel.
Yet Anna Nicole would become criticized for continuing to be a woman who embraced her sexy side, even as her son came of age. During her reality TV years, she was often slammed for being inappropriate around her teenage son.
Then there are those whose relationships with their children are completely changed by fame and circumstance. Ted Jorgensen has wanted, for years, to forge a relationship with the son he gave up after a divorce as a young adult. He had no idea, however, that his son grew up to become Jeff Bezos until a biographer contacted him with the news.
