It appears (by write-ups & media reports) that many think Bindi is under enormous pressure and is at risk of losing her child hood. While I agree to a point that it all has been a very short time since the passing of Steve and media interviews of the Irwins are still bombarding us, I wonder who really is to blame here.

I ask who is not giving the Irwins time to grieve, to me it seems to be the media, always wanting, demanding interviews about how the family feels after the loss of a husband, wonderful father and an Australian Icon for Wildlife. I must remind you all that Terri has been made Australian Ambassador for Australia and by all reports it was America that made that choice (Why is America allowed to pick OUR Ambassador, that's another story in itself).

While Bindi may be only eight years old she certainly is intelligent, well educated, confident and full of enthusiasm, which leads me to believe that Bindi could well have a very high IQ. Thinking of this, it is quite normal for high IQ children to be thought of as "Being pressured" to perform, just as many of these children are left wanting by School and Educational Services, which are not geared to handle High IQ children.

I believe Bindi falls into this category. She loves her family, her Father, loves Wildlife, is always full of joy and enthusiasm, has been involved with shows in Australia Zoo, Foxtel and other networks. This is something she enjoys and has a very big heart for. One trembles to think of what would happen to her as a person should this be legally curtailed by mischievous people who think they know what's right for the world. That would be totally irresponsible. The Media and Television Networks should shoulder some responsibility for over exposing the Irwins.

Johnny_au

I agree. I have asked myself the same question: is this little girl now being exploited? I have known two 8 year olds who lost their father, and I clearly remember how they did not come to terms with their fathers death for many years, despite support. Bindi is only 8 and still a very little girl, with little-girl emotions, unable to take on the adult world created by Dad yet.
I am sure her mother is doing the best she can, but I am also sure she is being pulled in many directions, and finding it difficult to make best-decisions. The entire family I believe, should be allowed time to grieve, and find its feet in a different world from the one they had before, ie. a world now without Steve. It will take much more time than any have been allowed. There are others who can take over the reins for a time.
arcticdog.

She was born into this, its in her genes,

i dont know about you all, but i think she has looked absolutely in her element when she goes public.

Forst it was the olsen twins, now Bindi Irwin. Her personality has won the hearts and minds of many, and being so comfortable in the public eye due to lifetime of it and having a home at a public zoo menas there will be few who could do what she can.

She is not being exploited, it is terrible to say that, she is just a rare bredd of gifted girl who is an Aussie version of Royalty that happens to be very popular around the world.

Good on her.

Its our very own Trueman Show, how much more reality tv can you get than this!

She's wonderful, the nicky webster of wildlife, I love her, she's so cute and brave and knows how to speak right into the camera.

I'll watch her on TV, read Woman's day and New Idea and follow her adventures for years to come.

Its not exploitation at all, she doesn't feel exploited, I don't feel exploited so what's the problem!

Sssh! (I mean how would an 8 year old know she is being exposed to a lie and never know it to be a lie? I won't tell her if you won't)

Yes, children can easily find themselves exploited by over zealous parents. This is commonly seen in American children beauty contests however, people are being gungho in pointing the flame thrower in the direction of Bindi Erwin's family.

Yes, she has grown up in the environment. She has grown up in an environment where life is on the go, it is exciting and needs to be fulfilled by actually doing something other than watching tv. We do not see the private world of Bindi. We do not get to see if she plays with dolls or cars or whatever else that is common of young children.

Bindi is a go getter and one can see by looking at her that she is mature for her age with abilities that only come with gifted children. Now do we allow children to develop and grow at the pace right for them? Or do we stifle them to please our own insecurities?

I believe that Bindi is capable and enjoys what she does.

I have some concerns about Bindi's future. Only time will tell how the death of her father and the subsequent catapulting into the media at a more intense level than before the loss of her father will effect her. It would appear that she and her dad had an extrodinary relationship which is somewhat reflected in Bindi's very extroverted behaviour now that she is more active in the role of wild life warrior. While her mother seems to be engaged in her grief, and publicly, Bindi is very busy making a huge attempt at maintaining wild live activities as a minature Steve in female form. At eight, this is probably working for her, but what about the future? Will she come down to earth with a bang and realise the intensity of what has and is happening or will she be consoled by the fact that she stepped up to the plate at a very early age and carried on to do the work that her father began?
I wish her luck and send her lots of love.

I actually find the whole Bindi media experience a little disturbing.

Eight years old and her whole life has been mapped out for her already?

I think she deserves to have a regular childhood first, away from the media circus that has promoted her as some sort of performing seal for our amusement.

Like everybody else I wish her well, but she needs a bit of personal space to grow into the person she really wants to be.

Well we don't really have to care about her, just send her our love and upohold our desire for her to fulfill our expectations.

Bugger the dangers of putting too many expectations on her. We don't need to be there when Bindi fails! (But We'll find this failure just as facinating too!)

As one child psychologists recently said about Bindi " It's a rare child that would actually live up to those expectations and thrive in them."

But for many here its simply a case of 'The show must go on"

She's an exceptional kid, raised by exceptional parents. Who knows what she's capable of? I only hope she doesn't get the same derision heaped on Nicki Webster.

I agree with you Realist! if you watch her closely she is her father all over . So enthusiastic for what she believes in ,i do admire this little girl, She is greiving in her own way ,probably her fathers image has kept her intact.
Remember she adored her dad as he did her.She is her fathers daughter ,no problems.
Terri will keep her grounded as much as she can I am sure.
Bindi loves the lime light ,same as her dad did.
Getting recognised for all the wildlife knowledge they both have.
Leave her be,I believe she is just being herself.

As the excerpts of the Irwin Memorial Service Show appeared on the evening news back in September, a friend of mine observed "There goes a fourteen year-old crack addict.

I sincerely hope he is wrong, but so far nothing indicates that Bindi Irwin's mental health and welfare is being considered, and everything indicates that she is being exploited.

Once the initial hype has receded a little, it would be nice to think that the family might settle back into a less frenetic, show-biz rhythm for a while, just to take stock and work out a safer growth path for Bindi.

However, with the best will in the world I cannot see it happening. There are too many people's livelihoods dependent on the fact that Bindi remains a celebrity, and constantly in the public eye. In too many cases the pursuit of money overrides every other consideration, including the welfare of fellow human beings.

I hope sanity eventually prevails, but I'm not holding my breath.

Please stop it. A man died poking a Stingray, when he should have known better. Why is this little girl so newsworthy. It really is a sad indictment of our times. Celebrity is such a fickle thing,with the media constantly telling us who we should or shouldnt admire. I for one, find the whole circus very bizzare and quite disturbing. How many children died in thier beds when the coalition of the killing decided to bomb the hell out of Baghdad? Where was the coverage and outpouring of grief for the parents without children, or the children who lost parents. They were not dicing with death playing with things best left alone, they were sleeping in there beds. A little perspective PLEASE.

This whole Irwin thing reeks of hugely succesful celebrity marketing,right from the start,no more and no less.
If we the public are dumb enough to heap adulation on these usually ordinary people,we cannot expect the marketing machine to stop grinding on.
I am sure the Irwins are very nice people,but I was never able to understand what made them special.

Hey hedgehog We are not talking about waring o/s countries where death is inevitable.....we are talking about a real, little Aussie girl who has just lost her daddy and just happens to be his image ,so wants to keep it alive.
You cannot compare events that happen in the war torn countries with this topic. thank you.

Hedgehog, it's a sad fact but there's a certain rule which seems to be loosely applied to journalism.

Any given newsworthy event is given prominence according to the following rule of who it happened to.

1 Australian = 3 Kiwis = 10 British = 20 Americans = 100 West Europeans (other than british) = 500 Eastern Europeans = 1000 Russians = 4000 Africans.

It's a sad indictment of humanity, true. So is war, so is famine, so is Britney Spears for crying out loud.
Unfortunately, there's not a lot that can be done about it.

On the flip side of the coin, it's not all starvation and death. There's a bright smiling little girl who seems to coping with grief remarkably well. That may not be the case for her in the future, but it certainly seems to be the case now.

It's a refreshing change from the chaos you describe. Is there a rule that says all the news has to be about strife?

Why are their some people who think that they know better what other people think and what other people need and should do?

Leave the Irwins alone, they are the ones that would best know what is best for them.

One hasnt figured in the comments at all - Bob. He will be growing up without a father, with a famous sister, and is likely to feel all sorts of pressure on him (real and imagined) to live up to the image of a father that he is unlikely to remember. Some of Bindi's activities should be at least postphoned, with the idea of leaving something for Bob to do, if he so wants.

My point is this is not news. When i heard of Irwins death, i was not surprised. I thought it a natural consequence of his activities. I find it bizzare that people that did not know him carry on like pork chops. This was not a national tragedy. He left a wife and two children, it happens every day.

Settle down hedghog. Steve Irwin was a celebrity same as John Howard is in the lime light for what he does.These people are recognised for their respective jobs.
We are all interested in their opinions ,for better or worse, Bindi happens to be Steves daughter.She is a celebrity whether she likes it or not( I am sure she does like it).
So having explained that to you , she is not your average little girl next door.
Every one wants to know how she is doing ,especially the media,if we see her name mentioned, we are interested ,it's just natural.
Leave her be and find someone else to bag.

This is a much needed article. I know many people who cringe every time they see her because they cringed at her father, and seem to be transferring their ambivelence onto her. I feel quite sorry for Bindi, and I am worried that in a few years time she will crash. I hope the public will be able to see her as an individual, independently of her father, and that the media does not hasten or bring about such a crash.

All the best to her and her family.

Both Steve Erwin and Peter Brock doing what they love. Why can't our politicians? ;)

As a father, it all makes my flesh crawl. Get a life.

I don't think its necessarily wrong taking Bindi through the adventure im sure she is experiencing now, it may well be constructive in overcoming the grief of her fathers death, but it would come down to how well Terri is able to raise Bindi and to set her on the right path as her mind and perception of things around her develop..
Id hate to see her grow up into disturbed teens such as Lindsay Lohan, or the Olsen Twins who have grown up in the spotlight.. then again no one should speculate, everyones different

i live in caloundra, queensland, just down the road from australia zoo and the home of the irwins. I have sat at my local swimming pool where Bindi has had swimming lessons - no-one looked twice at her - she was just another little girl doing her thing. We Australians never did the "celebrity zoo" thing on the Irwins. Steve was just a local boy made good and we all loved him.
It is amazing to many of us the fuss that is being made of Bindi - she is just a normal little girl. I feel sad she is becoming a victim of the American press machine - we dont have that here, that horrible child celebrity culture, and Im afraid that it will swallow her up. Leave her alone, let her be an 8 year old little girl. Her dad has just died, for Gods sake let her come to terms with that. The media machine is out of control. I dont blame Terri for being sucked in - she is grieving too and very vulnerable. John Stainton should leave her alone and come back in a year or two when she is more emotionally able to make sensible decisions for both herself, Bob and Bindi. God Bless you Irwin family, you deserve better.

I love to see this family in the spotlight, and hope that all good things come their way, but I agree with Daniel that Bindi is being exploited. I believe that it is her family that should keep the media from exploiting her. Sometimes the eminent dollar signs keep us from making good decisions.

I particulary agree with the point Daniel makes in his article regarding the family manager - and his comments to the media saying that Bindi's daily wishes are being adhered to - as if she is old enough to make such important decisions on her own! An 8 year old? She is extremely clever and knowledgeable of certain things beyond her years...but?!

My daughter is 13 and insists she is old enough to "hang out" in a big city with her friends of the same age and no adult supervision. At 13 she (and most other 13 year olds) do not have the facilities to handle difficult and dangerous situations that may arise in such a situation. It is up to me as her parent to make the decision FOR HER based on her emotional and physical capabilities, whether she likes my decisions or not. I don't care how much she tells me she wants something. When it has to do with her life, safety and her well-being, there is no debate. It's tough on me to be the "bad guy"...but what else are we here for as parents if we are not here to protect?

All I can think is that Bindi's mom is seeing this as an opportunity to make something good come from a hard situation - boosting her daughter's career - and subsequently her life will be easier in her future? I don't know. I definitely don't think Terri Irwin would deliberately exploit Bindi.

But believing Bindi is capable of making her own decisions at this point in her life is incredibly ludicrous.

In regards to the Bindi exploitation topic, I suggest one should take a look at child rearing. I believe the most important characteristic you can install in a child is self belief and self disciple. Children learn what they live and they pick up traits that last the rest of their lives. How many times have you commmented on an adult behaving like a 5/2 year old. They learned that behaviour when they were 5/2 and obviously the parent re-enforced it as exceptable behaviour.The biggest thing that stops children/people obtaining this life success characteristic is the parents lack of self belief and fear. Bindi's parents ooze self belief and self disciple. They may live a life different from ours but that doesn't mean we should knock them down as we tend to do in Australia. Daniel (sorry if name isn't accurate) I suggest reading the educationalist John Holt"s books "How Children Learn" and "How Children Fail" it will definately give you something to take into concideration. I may not have had the most supportive parents but I'm not going to knock someone down for having the support I didn't.

I saw the Bindi Irwin show on the ABC at the weekend and still can't help thinking this little girl is being exploited.

Yes she's been 'groomed' for show biz and has been berforming for years, but the death of her father changed things.

Bindi was thrust into the limelight even more with his passing.Comments posted earlier quoting their manager as saying she does it because she wants to don't wash. Children don't know what they're doing. They do things because they think (or are told) it will be fun and they do things to please people, especially their family in times of difficulty.

In the show, which is predominantly clips from her dad's docos, she's constantly talking about him "My dad this", "My dad that", "We went here", "We went there". It's surreal,and sad not because Steve Irwin died on the Barrier reef, doing what he knew were the risks of his job, but because I can't help thinking this little girl is living someone else's dream.

I'm sure the adults around her think they're doing the right thing by Bindi, but the constant pushing of Bindi just keeps me coming back to the thought she's there to keep the family business going when the front man has gone