Are These Kids For Real?

You won't find very many instances of real-life kids and teens on television. Even the mean ones like that pig-tailed witch on "Little House On The Prarie" or the mischevious and annoying like the one on "Dennis The Menace" come across as mostly harmless scamps. The kids of Bree on "Desperate Housewives" are bad, true enough, but still as not as bad as a lot of kids can be (and are) in real life.

The movies are a little more realistic, with depictions of confused and troubled teens (Rebel Without A Cause), malevolent malcontents (Menace To Society, The Good Son), smart mouths (Weekend With Father, Married To It), at-risk kids (Thirteen), bullies (My Bodyguard) and regular 'round the way types (A Christmas Story, Stand By Me, Cornbread, Earl and Me) among others.