I give young people a lot of slack for being callow. Perspective takes time. Every now and then, however, a youngster tries my patience.

Today it’s Amanda Bynes, who declared her retirement from showbiz at age 24 on Twitter.

“Being an actress isn’t as fun as it may seem. If I don’t love something anymore I stop doing it. I don’t love acting anymore so I’ve stopped doing it.”

Then, lest you think she was bullshitting, she sent out another one.

“I know 24 is a young age to retire but you heard it here first. I’ve #retired.”

A couple of things stick in my craw here. First, it’s not retirement if you just can’t find work. A cursory look at her IMDB page shows that she’s only worked a few times in the past three years. She was not #retired during that time, so one assumes that the lack of credits has more to do with her being a fading Nickelodeon star with marginal abilities than with “acting” not being “fun.” The thing about being a tween idol is that it’s got a shelf life. The tweens who love you move on, and their little sisters pick someone new to idolize. It must be a great ride, but it’s fated to end as soon as you can’t convincingly play a junior in high school.

Second, it’s a privilege to be able to do something fun for money. Amanda might not know this, but almost no one gets to. There are very few little boys and girls dreaming of bagging groceries or manning a toll booth, but there are millions of people doing that kind of work. In a moment when a lot of people are losing homes and having trouble getting enough work, announcing that you’re tired of being a movie star is a bit dickish.

Congratulations, Miss Bynes – you have the kind of life where you don’t need to keep your job out of fear or need. You have the option of taking a good long break and figuring out what you want to do with yourself. You are fortunate beyond the dreams of most humans. Please consider keeping it to yourself.