I value my education, and my wife and I try to impress that value on our two young children. While it's no longer the guarantee of a good life it used to be, making solid grades and getting into a good college can make life much easier in the long run. Pay now, play later. That's what my Pops always used to say.

Then again, my Pops isn't Will Smith, and my name isn't Willow. (I'm also not a girl, but why let that ruin the story?) So while there has been a huge kerfuffle around the blogosphere about some decidedly questionable comments the starlet recently made about her education, I'm wondering if they've been blown a bit out of proportion:

Willow Smith, the 10-year-old pop sensation, has almost been manufactured for a life in the spotlight. She made her film debut in 2007 in I Am Legend, playing Marley Neville, the daughter of Will Smith's character Robert and followed this up with an award-winning performance in Kit Kittredge, An American Girl.

But Willow admits the work means she has less time to study with her personal tutor and has had to miss some classes.

She said: "I never really get to go to school because I am always on tour or with my father. There is a tutor most of the time, but usually I am working so I never get to do the lessons. The worst thing about maths is all the kids are ahead of me because they go to school."

To her credit, at least Willow's very self-aware, and knows that her inability to keep up with a budding career and schoolwork has her trailing her peers academically. Most kids aren't as in touch with their strengths and limitations, which is a good sign that she does indeed value her education and will do what's necessary to catch up when time permits.

There's also the small matter of privilege here. Namely, Willow can literally afford to have a lax attitude towards education because she comes from a wealthy family, and has other obviously bankable talents (singing, acting) that deem the ability to do well in algebra less necessary. She's not the first child star to skip school, and won't be the last. So basically, this is a non-story.

Of course, not every kid's born to Hollywood royalty, is handed a recording contract before age 10, or stars in a blockbuster film before they're potty trained. If there's any lesson to be learned here, it's us and our kids, not the Smith's. Because life is NOT so golden for everyone, no matter how talented you may be, school is critically important to a child's future career. Let's just hope other parents make this a teaching lesson to reinforce this, and don't let their kids mimic their new idol on this front.

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Jay Anderson is a freelance writer from Washington, DC, whose work has been featured in the Washington Post and on NPR. When he's not busy talking smack here, he runs the award-winning blog AverageBro.com. Follow him via Twitter @AverageBro.