I am a single mom doing it by myself who works 42 & ½ hours a week. I know my DD has got the X-factor and want her 2 have all the opportunity in the world to have whatever she wants in life. However I feel if we do go down this road I will have 2 try and work less hours a week, or quit my job all together. The + side to all of this is that I will be spending more time with my DD, but and this is the down side 2 this is we will have 2 make due on what she makes after we pay the agent and put her money away.

I have been thinking about this 4 sometime now and just thinking about it makes me feel really guilty!!!!!!!!

I know that most of the kids have stay at home moms and they have dads who work and pay all the bills, but how does someone who does not have that do it?????

Any and all comment would be very helpful I am very open minded person…….

Any money she makes is HERS you cannot make due on the money she makes, you MUST be the parent and provider!! Just because you legally have to put away 15% does not mean you can spend the rest!!! You are legally responsible for 100% of her earnings due to HER!!! When she asks when she's older you had better be able to account for all of that money, and that does not mean spending it to live on!!!

If you cannot afford this now you should wait.

Rosie,

I am not a single mom, but I do work full-time so I understand where you're coming from. There are, in fact, many working moms & dads on this board who have the same scheduling/time issues as you.

I think it's important to consider what you want to accomplish. Some parents go into this thinking their kid is going to become a "star", but the reality is that many, many kids (even talented ones with the X factor) don't "make it big" or make much money, for that matter.

That's not meant to be discouraging. I think theatre is a great thing to pursue. It's just that if you're talking about quitting your job so your daughter can "make it", you'll likely be putting a lot of pressure on you and her, potentially with not a lot of payoff.

Alternately, you could consider a goal of getting your daughter some solid training, building her skills, and giving her performing experiences that she will enjoy. I'm a strong proponent of community & regional theatre and lots of workshop/class experiences.

Has she done much performing locally? Does she get cast somewhat consistently? Sometimes it's a good idea to be a big fish in a small pond before jumping into the ocean.

Just my 2 cents,
T

You also have to remember that there are times when you wil have to go on 3 or 4 go see a week its gonna cost money just to get to the city and you will have to miss work.

pinrose, i hear you. I am a full-time working mom and need to figure out how to manage my job and my baby girls job now. not only that, i leave in the burbs of CT and going to the go-sees along takes at least 3 hours out of the day. Now said that, there is something inside of me saying, i need to do this for my baby girl. it's an opportunity for her, and i need to somehow try to find a way. thankfully, i am lucky that my job allows flexibility and i can make up the hours in the evenings or weekends.

also, as caslerock says, any earnings that your child makes, better go her bank account. i wouldn't quick your job, and if there is anyway that you can work out flexibile hours, that would be best to do. from what I have experienced thus far, there are busy weeks and there are weeks that nothing happens.

i know that juggling our day jobs and the go-sees, etc, might be tough at times. hang in there, give it sometime and see where the life takes you.

Rosie,

I just realized that I assume you were interested in theatre... but perhaps its print or other work you're looking for for your daughter. In which case, I can't offer any advice b/c we don't do that.

Good luck!
~Tanya

Pinkrose --

I cannot say this more strongly: DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES QUIT YOUR JOB AND EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO LIVE ON YOUR CHILD'S EARNINGS. First of all, if I recall correctly, your DD is interested in doing print work, which is not all that lucrative. I don't expect you would be able to live on her earnings, even if she was quite successful in that area. Even for commercial and legit work, it is the rare kid that makes enough for a family to live on. The simple fact is most kids, even working ones, don't get rich in this business.

Second, having a child be the family's sole provider is an awful lot of pressure to put on her/him. You want you child to be in this business to enjoy it, not to have to worry about what you're going to eat if he/she doesn't book.

I feel your pain -- I am a working parent as well. Fortunately, my job has a certain amount of flexibility, as does my husband's (he's a teacher) that allows us to take her in for afternoon auditions. That being said, we sometimes have to decline auditions, although we try to do that as little as possible. Bottom line, if you can't find a way to balance this with your work schedule, either find another, more flexible position, or keep things local for a while with a CT agency, or doing CT theater and extra work. Quitting your job and living on her earning is simply not a realistic possibility.

quote:

this is the down side 2 this is we will have 2 make due on what she makes

oh, my!

Pinkrose, we all have faith in our children; but seriously quitting your day job? I am fortunate enough that I do not have to work, kudos and much respect to mom's who do by choice or necessity. With three children, two of them in the biz, I find it hard to juggle all my responsibilities as a parent and even harder juggling activities and industry auditions/work.

Much money has been spent getting the children to their industry hopefuls and personal activities. I can not imagine even entertaining the thought of living on the extra, for their rarely is any. I am wired differently I guess. All they make is matched by us and it all goes into their college fund. We take nothing for overhead for it is a hobby and no different than jazz, soccer, musical lessons. As a parent it is our responsibility to provide these activities for our children if they can be afforded. That was a bad choice of words in your quote and I am hoping that it was your fingers typing so fast that it was a mistake instead of a well thought plan.

First of all like everyone said, your child's earnings are hers, not something you should live off of. Secondly, I am not sure how much you think these kids make but truthfully it would not be enough to live on unless they are "famous". My daughter works a lot, in all aspects of the industry, and after taxes, her agent, then manager, and her Coogan it is not a ton. Personally, and others may disagree, but I do not see anything wrong with using her money for HER expenses. (new head shots, an acting class she wants to take) I know a lot of people think you are in a magazine or commercial or TV show and you make a zillion dollars.....not the case, and definitely should not quit your job to live off your child's income. Good luck to your and your daughter and I hope you guys come up with a plan that works for you both!

pinkrose do you have family or a sitter that would be able to take her to auditions/gosees? I have a separate sitter for the days I work that are not flexible (I know those days in advance) and have the sitter take them in. I agree with everyone here, you don't want to quit your job and then rely on her. Remember after taxes, agent (manager as well if you have one) and 15% it's an average of 70% gone right there, then to factor in gas/tolls etc. There's not much left. Your best bet is to put all the money in the trust account or in an ING type acct. for when they get older.

You're thinking of stealing your child's money? And then posting about it on the internet so the authorities can be alerted to your theft? Smart move.

This post scares me for several different reasons. And please don't get me wrong, your child is beautiful and I'm sure you are a caring and concerned parent. However...

First...you cannot live off your child. As previously stated, her money belongs to her. There are certain expenses you can deduct but you CANNOT expect her to support you both. You have to be able to justify every expense if you are ever questioned about it. Plus, I can't even imagine what the pressure and psychological damage it would cause a grade-schooler to "have" to work in order to support the family. There are too many stories of child "stars" who have sued, fired, and been emanicipated from their parents to ever be able to justify this being a good idea.

Second...if we are talking about printwork as someone mentioned above, my dd has LOTS of experience in that. Most NY printwork pays about $100 an hour with a 2 hour minimum (so roughly $200 per job). Take the agent's 20% from that, as well as the 15% to go directly into trust. Some clients automatically withhold taxes and some agents charge a $5 or so courier fee. Don't forget, you'll have to GET to and from the go-see and job, so include parking, tolls, gas, etc. (X2 since you will have to make 2 trips, possibly 3 if there is a callback which there sometimes is for print). Most printwork barely pays for itself, and sometimes pays LESS than you actually pay out. My daughter has been fortunate to have some really great print jobs that have paid well, but in reality the $100 an hour jobs are the norm. Even with the campaigns she has done that pay well, we would never be able to live off that and I could never imagine even considering it. When I see her little face light up when she sees how much money she has saved, that is totally priceless. I can't imagine taking that away from her after she worked so hard to achieve it.

You may want to check out the PARF board where there are some good discussions about the reality of what commercials, etc pay. Most people have unrealistic expectations of what the majority of children will be able to earn in the industry.

Thanks you for all of your comments!!!!! ;~)

Let me just clear one thing up I never said that she would be the sole provider, I said “we would have 2 make due”(should have been clear that when I said make due it would be for her expenses). The problem that I am having is the agents make it seem like you have to go 2 all the go see they call u for. I am sure I could work around my work schedule if I could decline auditions sometimes, my boss is just great like that…. I work very hard every day to make sure she has everything she needs and wants….. It is just me and her………. It is not her fault that her DAD is a dead beat who doesn’t do not one thing 4 her!!!!!! But like most kids from where I live most dads are like him dead beat!!!!!!!!!!!!

Most agents will get irritated if you turn down too many auditions/go-sees. They have a hundred other kids who they know they can depend on to go at a minute's notice. You have to remember that it is their business. They need to make money and the way they make money is by kids booking jobs. They can't spend a lot of time on people that can't make it.

As mentioned before, maybe the best thing is to work locally if this is something your dd truly has a passion for. My dd is just as happy doing community theater (even that is a huge time commitment) as she is doing anything else, because she just loves performing. It doesn't matter to her where it is or whether she is being paid to do it or not.

Good luck in finding the right fit for your situation!

Hi Pinkrose!
Let's think about some alternatives. Single parents CAN pull this off, but as you expect, it is harder.

There are a couple of ground rules you need to know, and they have been mentioned above:
1. You may NOT live on your child's money. In California, where most of the studios and big employers are based (so this law will probably apply to you), 100% of the money belongs to the child legally. And the parent MUST continue to provide parental duties--ie. food, clothing and shelter for your child.

MANY many parents have been sued, many divorced parents have had MAJOR custody battles over the money (are you ready to pay your ex 50% of yoru child's earnings? he might be entitled...)

If you use her money in California to live, you could actually lose custody of your child. Why? Because you aren't providing for your child. You aren't being a PARENT.

When it comes to money, it is actually WORSE when the kids ARE successful. Read this long article about another single mom and what happened when success hit:
http://nancyrommelmann.com/jena.html

You just CAN'T plan to use any of your daughter's money for LIVING. Ever.

2. Most kids, even really successful kids, don't make enough after agents %, taxes, Coogan, etc...to live. It just isn't realistic. Almost every series regular I know has a parent with a job supporting them.

3. Kids get to choose, because they are just children. They must ALWAYS have the option of quitting showbiz. This is THEIR career, not a team of "you and us against the world baby". That means you have to create an environment where she can quit any time she wants. Because you are the PARENT and she is the CHILD. You are not equal partners.

So how do single moms do it? Consider a new career that might be more flexible. Some ideas; ebay selling, internet businesses, business out of your home, medical billing, freelance writer, preschool or kindergarten teacher (allowing you to go to auditions in the afternoon), working the night shift or breakfast shift, substitute teacher, nurses, delivering newspapers, inventing something you sell on the internet or in local boutiques, etc.

While you still have a job now, explore those possibilities. Maybe start a little internet business on the side and see how it goes. Then by the time your daughter is "making it" you MAY have enough income to cover the basic expenses for the two of you, and you might have a more flexible career.

Yeah, I know...you are already working 40 hrs, AND taking her to go-sees. Now I am saying you need to make a career transition too?? Yes. THAT is the sacrifice that this takes. Auditions are EASY. Work is EASY. The hard part is making ends meet in between.

If you can't make those kind of sacrifices, there is another option: your daughter will still have the X-factor when she is 18. Hollywood will wait, it will always be there. And talented people can always come back. She doesn't need you to make these sacrifices right NOW.

A