I really didn’t need any more arguments to convince me that I will never let my boys be featured on a reality television series, but that’s exactly what I got as the story unfolded over the weekend about the Heene family of Fort Collins, Colo., who authorities have accused of carrying out a hoax involving their 6-year-old son and a fly-away balloon.

My feelings turned from fear for the little boy’s safety Thursday as the event unfolded to sheer disgust when news came out this morning that authorities would seek charges against Richard Heene and his wife, Mayumi.

The couple apparently staged the event to promote a reality TV show featuring the family — one that had already been turned down by numerous networks, including TLC, home to reality families such as the Gosselins of “Jon & Kate” and the Duggars of “18 Kids and Counting.” The family had previously appeared on ABC’s “Wife Swamp.”

Why is it that so many parents are willing — no, eager — to put their families in front of the camera these days? Is it all about the fortune and fame?

I can’t say that I find either of those things worth giving up my boys’ privacy or robbing them of a normal childhood (because I don’t consider a full-time camera crew and staged, all-paid vacations normal). I’m not alone. A poll published in this month’s issue of Parents asked, “If you and your family were asked to be the subject of a reality show, would you do it?” The result was overwhelmingly no — 77 percent.

It’s too much pressure for a little child to always be cute, always be well-behaved, always be “on.” And all those embarrassing just made-for-TV moments that viewers ooh and aah and laugh over, those may not be so funny when the child is 16 or 30.

There are numerous studies that explain why watching too much or inappropriate shows on TV can affect children’s health and behavior in negative ways, but I couldn’t find a single one about what can happen when a child appears on TV, whether it’s day-to-day like the Roloffs of “Little People, Big World” or all the little pageant girls on “Toddlers & Tiaras.”

Sure, you could argue that reality TV isn’t real, but the kids who are on it are. So maybe it’s time for all parents to change the channel.