Legacy

Reactions range from crikey to creepy as 8-year-old Bindi Irwin follows in father (stung to death by a stingray) Steve's footprints as the Baby Crocodile Hunter (actually, "Bindi the Jungle Girl") on the Discovery Kids channel. No notice yet of whether 3-year-old brother Bob — named for their herpetologist grandfather and part of a media scandal when father Steve held him while also feeding a crocodile — is also scheduled soon for some TV face time.

While everyone stands ready to offer thoughts on how other people raise their children, Bindi finds herself in a very public push-pull between pundits and her family. Is she missing out on a "normal" childhood or was she fated to happily embrace the carrying on of her father's legacy?

** Like most parenting, the outcome of the experiment won't be known until it can't be changed. **