A lot has been said recently about Nepo Babies, but amid all this pop culture buzz, some crucial life lessons have been missed. Yeah, celebrity kids are famous, some of them without much effort of their own. And I get it – nepotism in any industry is always looked at with plenty of disdain. No one likes the idea of someone else getting a free ride while the rest of us tough it out day after day just to live in our cramped houses or over-priced apartments.
Well, I say we should resist that negativity and embrace all that nepo babies have to teach us!
As a quick aside, this is my first blog entry and first free puzzle made about current events. You will find a link to the free, printable Nepo Babies Word Search below. And now, on to the life lessons that we can gain from the children of the rich and famous!
1. Never reinvent the wheel. So many of us have grand visions of what we want to contribute to the world. Full of new ideas and sizzling ambition, we often trip over the one hurdle that nepo babies don’t fret over: we try to re-invent the wheel. You see, kids of rich people not only get to see what helped make their parents a success, they often grow up watching all the ins and outs of their parents’ industry. In the case of Hollywood kids, they learn about story structure, and learning to create a product that their audience will want. They see how their parents utilize optics to their own advantage, and gain an understanding of how to best fashion their public persona from a very young age. So don’t waste time forging a difficult path. Research the tricks of your trade that have helped people succeed in the past, then add your own spin to a formula that works!
2. Connections matter. Nobody succeeds in a vacuum. Yeah those nepo kids just have to flick through Mommy’s phone contacts to find a producer or a killer hair stylist or a script doctor. Most of us don’t have that. However, this world isn’t as big as it seems. Explore the communities of whatever interests you. From digital chat rooms to local gatherings found via Meetup or Craigslist or local hobby shop, etc. Also, there are conventions (aka “cons”) for just about anything. Go to one. Learn the key players in the industry you want to break into. If you deeper into the world you want to be a part of, eventually you’ll get to know who the major players are and they might even start to know you! Many people believe there are only six degrees or separation between you and just about anyone you’d ever want to meet. So get out there and make those connections!
3. Haters will always hate. We all love to hate the nepo babies but would you really want to be hated just for following in your parents’ footsteps? And let’s face it, don’t you have people in your own life who are haters? Haven’t you ever had a social media post or comment get trolled? Haters are gonna hate no matter who you are or what you do – zone them out and be yourself!
4. You must find your authentic self. If you want to be successful in your life, you must find your authentic self. Nobody is doubting if Miley Cyrus, daughter of country superstar Billy Ray Cyrus, genuinely wants to be a lasting part of the music industry! She clearly loves being a musician. Authenticity shines so brightly. If you want to be your authentic self, you need to get in touch with who you are. What excites you? What are your dreams and goals? What kind of person do you want to be? How do people perceive you, and do you like the way you are perceived? The complexities of “self-actualization” are beyond the scope of this blog post, but look the term up. When you live your authentic life, you talk less trash about others, you feel more fulfilled, and others take notice. They can’t help it. Successful nepo babies create their own, authentic name for themselves. You can too!
5. Be proud of who you are. Yeah, you can change your appearance, your name, and even rewrite your history to anyone who cares to listen. But even after all that, the bottom line is, you live with yourself. You are a product of where you came from. So draw from those lessons, learn from those mistakes. Accept the limitations and benefits of what shaped your life until now. Be realistic about where you’re at and set an intention of where you want to be. Everything you envision for yourself is, ultimately, a manifestation of all the experiences that have come before. So be proud of who you are! Just don’t let your past be a glass ceiling – let it be the foundation you jump off of. There is literally nothing you can do to change the past. You might as well embrace it the way successful people embrace anything – objectively. Assess what worked and what didn’t work for you and then run into your future with open arms! It’s right there waiting for you. You don’t even need to be a famous brat to have it.
Okay, with all that said, here’s a link to download a free printable pdf word search chock full of nepo babies. Search for LAST NAMES only! https://rokopuzzles.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/nepo-baby-word-search.pdf
Just for fun, I’ll include a list below of the kids I’ve included and their famous relative(s).
Riley Keough – Elvis Presley’s granddaughter
Jaden Smith – Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s son
Maya Hawke – Ethan Hawke’s daughter
Sofia Coppola – Francis Ford Coppola’s daughter
Lily Collins – Phil Collins’ daughter
Drew Barrymore – A multi-generational family of famous actors
Charlie Hall – Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ son
Dakota Johnson – Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson’s daughter
Carrie Fisher –Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher’s daughter
Billie Lourd – Carrie Fisher’s daughter, Debbie Reynolds’ granddaughter
Jack Quaid – Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid’s son
Maude Apatow – Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow’s daughter
Tracee Ellis Ross – Diana Ross’s daughter
Kate Hudson – Goldie Hawn’s daughter / Kurt Russell’s stepdaughter
George Clooney – Rosemary Clooney’s son
Jane Fonda – Henry Fonda’s daughter
Maya Rudolph – Minnie Ripperton’s daughter
Angelina Jolie – John Voight’s daughter
Scott Eastwood – Clint Eastwood’s son
Miley Cyrus – Billy Ray Cyrus’ daughter and Dolly Parton’s goddaughter
Rumer Willis – Bruce Willis and Demi Moore’s daughter