Toddlers & Tiaras

EDIT: Let me add that I was just looking at pics to add to this post, and the episode I saw, they did not do swimsuit competitions and whatnot-- that I have different views on-- (at least until I see the whole scenario). Also, I'm not saying pageants are awesome and the best thing for little girls-- I'm just saying that my original opinions turned out to be unfounded.

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Anyone seen this show?

I'm easily impulsed, so after seeing the commercial for this show, I wanted to catch an episode. It was much different than I expected. I expected to see so much drama and awful parenting that I wouldn't ever want to watch the show again. I expected to see Diva Mom's living vicariously through their daughters. I expected to see kids crying-- not wanting to go on stage.

That's what I expected. And some of it happened. But there was a lot more to it. I only saw one episode, so understand that.

There was one kid that was a natural performer, and after being away from the stage for several years (her mom had a few babies and was too busy to keep up the schedule), she couldn't wait to go perform again. To that little girl, it was like Halloween and dance class mixed together. Honestly (and remember I used to work with kids at a mental health counseling center), the kid seemed well adjusted, and just liked to perform in pageants. She wasn't much of a diva, either.

Granted, in this same episode, there was a girl that thought she WAS an animal and could talk with and understand animals. When it came to the actual pageant, she cried and screamed because she didn't want makeup, and then began to crawl around because she was pretending she was an animal again.

But the one thing that I noticed most was that each parent truly felt they were doing it for the child. I didn't really notice any of them pushing their child to DO the pageant-- the only time they would push them is if the kid wanted to quit right before the pageant. At that point, they SHOULD make them go through with it-- finish what they start.

So all in all, it changed my opinion of child beauty pageants. I'm not saying they're all great and wonderful, but maybe my previous opinions weren't as founded as I thought.

This week, try taking a walk in someone elses shoes for a bit, and then reevaluate what your original perceptions were.