Growing up in the middle of the Hollywood Community (12 of my relatives were actors, one even starring in over 60 movies, as well as TV series, etc.), I cannot help but wonder how much the "kids" want to do what they do, or how much they are pushed to do it. I grew up with too may kids who were pushed into TV, who didn't want anything to do with it. One of them, the son of one of the greatest comedians ever, hates his father and is estranged from his family.
What Jordan did is an incredible accomplishemnt....beyond incredible, and kudos to him. He may be a very driven 13 year old, though I don't remember many driven 13 year olds when I was in school, and yes, even with me being around all those children of actors. My girlfriend at the time, had her own TV series. That was 30 years ago....and she is still working out the problems she had with her parents.
As far as maturity, there are reasons why the courts have decided what age a child must be to be considered a mature person. Those ages are not arbitrary, but have been decided upon over the decades and of course in some circumstances have changed.
You may consider the case of Johnny Strange, the 17 year old high school student who is the youngest (so far) to have climbed the highest peaks on all 7 continents, including Everest. People may consider him "mature", which of course is defined knowing how to act in different circumstances as having the ability to make swift and correct decisions.
If that definition is true (and of course you can look up your own), then Johnny does not meet the criteria for maturity because of his latest attempt caught on video of him "car surfing" at 50 mph on top of a friends BMW in Malibu. Not only did that endanger his own life, he could have easily caused an accident, could have hurt someone else, or at the least caused the driver of the car behind him to kill Johnny if he fell off the vehicle.
Of course, no one was hurt, but both Johnny and the driver of the BMW were arrested.
I guess I'm showing Johnny as an example of someone who is not mature, but still completed impossible feats. I hope that he doesn't believe his life is incomplete without the addition of daring acts and life threatening endevours.
Even after all that I have stated, I need to admit that I am in awe of the accompishments of these "children". It is amazing and beyond my belief. I'm sure these kids are more mature than the average child, but I hope they get advice from their parents that is for their own good and not for the good of their parents. And who's to say that being the best at something, getting tremendous accolades and admiration means anything when it comes to maturity. I still remember my accountant telling me in the late 1980's, early '90's, about this wonderful kid who would someday become one of the greatest golfers ever. He gushed about how far beyond his years this kid was, his incredible maturity, his wonderful family, etc. Well, that kid did grow up to arguably be the greatest golfer ever, but I don't think Elin would argue for his maturity.
"Turtles, Frogs & other Environmental Sculpture"
