Sarah takes charge–finally

GERONIMO. “Controlled” upbringing

For years now, we’ve been making a pest and nag of ourself by urging Sarah Geronimo’s parents to stop controlling her love life, options and prospects so much, and to give her the freedom that a young-adult like her should enjoy.

We’re sure that they have the best intentions in the world, but a young talent and person should do more than work, make money and advance her career!

What about enjoying her childhood, her teenage years, developing all aspects of her personality, falling in (and out of) love? These pursuits may not be as profitable as making hay while the scorching show biz sun shines, but they’re absolutely necessary for a young person to healthily develop and mature in every way.

Well, Sarah is now all of 25 years old, and it looks like her parents, handlers and mentors have finally agreed to cut her some slack as far as her career and personal decisions are concerned—and, she may even have found herself a new boyfriend.

This comes very late in the day but is still great news—and we can only hope that the young star hasn’t been adversely affected by her “controlled” upbringing, and can thus take full and responsible advantage of the belated freedom she currently enjoys.

Not enough ‘training’

Show biz is rife with tales of young “breadwinners” who grow up overworked and warped, and have problems as troubled grown-ups (think Liza Minnelli, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears). Let’s hope that Sarah is made of sterner stuff and can confidently handle her own affairs, even if she hasn’t had enough “training.”

Other local juvenile talents who didn’t have an easy time of it include Niño Muhlach, Snooky Serna and Nora Aunor.

Niño was such a prodigiously precocious sensation that, when he got older, he started behaving more maturely than his tender years. He went in for siga and porma, and his juvenile portrayals became too slick and sassy for him to remain popular with viewers.

It’s a good thing that his father handled his financial affairs astutely, so when the acting offers stopped coming, Niño had a very plump nest egg to fall back on.

For her part, Snooky acted in one movie after another when she was exceedingly young, and many of her stellar vehicles were of the “tearjerker” sort, so she grew up into a moody teen.

It took her a long time to come to grips with her “issues,” but hopes are high that she will come into her own again, this time as a more mature performer.

Finally, her phenomenal success at an early age so overwhelmed Nora that her growing-up years were exceedingly confused and compromised. She was the most popular star in the land, but her perception of relationships was warped by many unfortunate experiences of people taking advantage of her—and, sometimes, the other way around.

These days, however, Nora seems to have finally vanquished many of her demons, so her “complex-compound” story could have a happy ending, as well!