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Hannah Montana

Letting Go in First Grade

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Balloon
Letting go of the balloon

When you have a new first grader, the world suddenly revolves around two words Moms like me hate to hear (and, gulp, do). Let Go. Ever since Kindergarten, my daughter has proudly been telling us, her teachers, and anybody who cared to listen, that when she turned 6, she would be going to the biggest school in our area. A huge co-ed establishment with fantastic facilities and a great sports programme, my sporty, sassy and independent kid loved the idea of it, and so did I, until the day came when I actually had to leave her there. On her own.

So there she was, hair neatly braided, brand new Hannah Montana backpack and My Scene lunchbox, sitting in her first grade classroom with 13 other 6-year-olds whose Moms were slowly leaving the open door where we all peeked in. As I watched my child sitting proudly at her desk, I secretly hoped that she would look back at me and say she didn’t want me to go (which she never did), and eventually, as I made myself walk away as all the other parents had, I realized that today we had both reached a milestone. She was growing up and I was letting her get to it.

Photo via against the tide

Does Your Child Look Up To Hannah Montana?

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hannah montana
There is no doubt about it, Hannah Montana is one of the most popular teen stars today. I personally do not follow her much but I am sure that many children and teens do so. One of our readers pointed out an episode wherein Hannah Montana and her dad rode a Range Rover without wearing seatbelts. It may seem inane but being the role model that she is, it would have been good to see them setting a good example.

I suppose it is not her fault – after all, producers and directors were behind the scene. However, children may think that just because she was not wearing a seatbelt, they should not wear one too. Should we really care? According to Consumer Reports:

Because, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in about 55 percent of passenger vehicle fatalities in 2006 (the latest data available), the occupants were not wearing seat belts. Even worse, in the 13- to 15-year-old age group, that percentage climbs to 65 percent. Unfortunately, we’re not surprised by these grim statistics because a 2002 survey by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety showed that when parents were dropping teens off at school in the morning, nearly half the teens weren’t using seat belts.

This information is enough to justify our concern, I think. Still, Billy Ray Cyrus, who plays Hannah Montana’s dad has admitted to the oversight. No big deal, I should say.