Aaron Carter rose to fame after his older brother, Nick Carter, became famous as one of the Backstreet Boys – the famous boy band from the 90s. While the brothers have been at the height of fame and fortune throughout their lives, they’ve also been at rock bottom. These two have been through more than most people realize, and a lot of it probably has to do with growing up in the spotlight. Not all kids are equipped to grow up with the eyes of the entire world watching their every move, and the kids in the Carter family all had trouble with that.
Nick and Aaron Carter and their sister Leslie Carter were all drug addicts at some point. Each one of the kids in this family spent time taking too many drugs and drinking too much without caring for the consequences. Those consequences, unfortunately, ended up being the loss of their sister, Leslie, to a drug overdose in 2011.
This is a family who was in the spotlight for so long and had so much access to so many things that kids this age should never have access to that they went down the wrong path in life. With such promising careers, so much to offer themselves and such bright futures ahead of them, each chose to abuse substances. Fortunately for Aaron and Nick, they’ve been able to kick their drug addictions. Nick Carter still admits he struggles with alcohol consumption, but he’s long since been sober where drugs are concerned.
Is there some sort of curse associated with being a child star in the spotlight from a young age? Maybe; and maybe not. It’s not an easy job to be a child with a job. You have a life that’s different than everyone else’s your age, and you don’t get to do the ‘normal’ things that others get to do. You’re denied the anonymity of living your most awkward years in relative privacy, and kids this age just aren’t able to handle criticism and the rude comments of the general public. It’s a difficult path, but if the parents of child stars remember that they are parents and allow their kids to lead as normal a life as possible, it is possible they will turn into responsible young adults. However, many parents begin to be their kid’s friends, using their kid’s fame for their own personal gain and forgetting to enforce rules, boundaries and guidelines for their kids. Not all child stars will end up like the Carter brothers, but it is a real risk.
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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