Hey, ladies: Who was your teen heartthrob, and where is he now?

Ah, the teen heartthrob. I remember the first time I came in possession of my first Tiger Beat magazine. Featured on the cover was the hot idol of the day, Matt Dillon.

He’d just starred in “Little Darlings” and became a little darling himself (sorry, bad pun).

There were various phases of the teen idols that adorned my bedroom walls from about 1980 to 1988. From any number of the actors in the movie “The Outsiders” to Tom Cruise, you can be assured there was no corner of my room without duct tape residue on the plaster walls.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my “Dukes of Hazzard” phase. Oddly enough, I didn’t grow up to be “Hope Schneider.”

So, it’s a little payback for me now to see my daughter, all of 12 years old, adorning her walls with Robert Pattinson and Bam Margera. There will be a time when we will have to fix the hundreds of holes left by push pins and tacks when she leaves the nest. Sometimes I have to put my People magazine under lock and key until I read it, because there may be a photo of Pattinson that’s been hijacked from that issue before I can indulge in a glass of wine and a read.

When looking at where my “crushes” are now, some have made a smooth transition from child star to successful actor.

One that comes to mind is Patrick Dempsey.

Who thought the geeky kid from “Can’t Buy Me Love” would one day be McDreamy from “Grey’s Anatomy”?

Tom Cruise has gone from dancing in his drawers to one of the box office wonders (aside from the occasional couch-jumping and controversial Scientology views).

Speaking of child stars, many have not grown up to be as successful. There were the two “Coreys” — Haim and Feldman — who starred in a whole host of bad-boy movies in the ’80s. Both shot to fame at early ages, and both were subjected to Hollywood habits too young.

They were hooked on drugs, separated from their parents and influenced by some not-so-well-meaning people.

Careers? They each sputtered out and attempted to recreate their screen magic in a reality series. In the end, they could not reclaim their friendship or fame.

If you remember Leif Garrett, his too-tight pants and catchy tunes, you know that he was a Tiger Beat regular. Hooked on drugs at 14, Leif crashed his car at 17, leaving his best friend wheelchair-bound for life. Since then, he’s been arrested for heroin possession, locked up, and sent to rehab numerous times.

It’s so sad when these kids have shot to stardom and fame in a short amount of time, only to have the bottom drop out when they reach adulthood. They no longer have “it” — the cuteness that first endeared them to the silver screen. Take Danny Bonaduce, the freckle-faced redhead from “The Partridge Family.”

There are so many examples of child stars’ downfalls. As mentioned before, though, there are some bright, shining stars of yesteryear turned successful. One of the best directors of our time has been Ron Howard, aka Opie from “The Andy Griffith Show,” aka Richie Cunningham from “Happy Days.” Howard has directed 28 movies, with more in production.

The key to a successful child star career and transition into a well-adjusted adulthood starts with a stable upbringing. There are so many times when greedy parents see the dollar signs and use their children for their own advancement.

Good “stage parents” keep their kids out of the spotlight when they’re not on screen. They give them a solid foundation on which to build their life after the spotlight fades.

To my teen idols of yesteryear, you’ve done pretty well, keep up the good work!
Smith’s column runs every Friday on the editorial page.