Good For Miley

[Dr. Shane]

Miley: "I Want to Keep My Virginity Until I Marry"

Miley Cyrus may only be 16, but she's a pro when it comes to staying on message. On Sunday, the Disney powerhouse attended church with her family and her 20-year-old model-boyfriend, Justin Gaston, a spiritual excursion that comes on the heels of her latest vow to earn the right to don white on her wedding day.

"I want to keep my virginity until I marry," the purity ring-wearing starlet reiterates to the London Daily Mail. "I was brought up in a Christian family."

And even though Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson made similar pledges, with mixed results, Miley isn't naïve about the potential pitfalls of fame.

"It's hard growing up in the spotlight and I'm changing. I can't be the 12-year-old who just moved to L.A. forever," she says. "I'm having a great time doing what I do, but I'm also going to stumble and fall. Having my parents close helps."

And the support of a double Oscar winner doesn't hurt, either.

"People mention child performers who have gone off the rails, but there are also stable people like Jodie Foster," Cyrus points out. "She was a child star and look where she is now. She called to give me advice, which was great."

Perhaps one tidbit Foster passed along was to maintain a strong sense of self, because Hollywood is a tough town that gobbles self-esteem like candy.

"It's harder finding people who are real," acknowledges a world-weary Miley. "You don't know what's real and what's fake in this city because almost everyone has a motive and everyone wants to get something."

That includes getting the already teeny-tiny Miley to -- geez -- slim down.

"People will say things like, 'You've got to lose weight and be this smaller size to wear this dress,'" she sighs, before adding, "It's upsetting, but I'm happy with how I look."

[text from link]

[Dr. Shane]

My daughter is just crazy about Hanana Montana. We don't have the Disney Channel but we do buy her DVDs of Hannah Montana. I really like what Billy Ray Cyrus did with "Doc" and the direction of Hannah Montana is good. I hope she can avoid the pit falls of Brittney Spears and Jessica Simpson.

[Liz]

I think it's very unwise to hold up anyone in Hollywood as a role model for our young people. Especially the people in the "poptart" category.

[phkrause]

Thanks for this story and link Shane. I do hope she stands behind her convictions and not allow peer pressure to get to her. So far she has been doing OK.

pk