Toddlers and Tiaras!

Have any of you ever watched TLC's new show Toddlers and Tiaras. I don't have any females at all besides myself at my house so there is not a lot of beauty pageants etc.. on t.v. It is mostly football, Motocross, The Exterminators, and of course for me The Real Housewives of whichever city is currently running! But, last night, or early this morning (1:00 AM) I was flipping channels and found "Toddlers and Tiaras". It is a reality show that follows the Glitzy Glamour pageant circuit in the South for ages 8 months -47 years. There are different divisions divided according to age..babies, 2-4, 4-7, 8-10, pre-teen,teen, and Mrs. Yes, even the moms put on swimsuits and compete against their 3 year old daughters in talent, evening gown, and swimsuit for the title of Ms. Ultimate Grand Supreme and $5,000 cash. No where big enough a prize for the humiliation they must feel. The issue I have with this circuit, much less the show glamourizing it, is that these little girls are sweet and pretty and some of them you can tell like getting on stage and showing their dress of and could really care less if they win or not. But the parents are unbelievable!! A little 22 month old named Ava joined the 2-4 year old class and was competing in talent..are you ready for this...baton twirling. PLEASE! If I gave Zane a baton he would hit me with it, chase the dog with it and try to cram it in the potty. She flipped it around a little, all the while her Dad, yes I said DAD standing beside her coaching her to twirl and twist and smile. He is also, by the way, the one who does her hair and makeup and designs, sews, and puts on her gowns. He is married and the mom was pretty but I don't think I could stand my husband sewing a dress for my 2 year old. Well, she didn't win the big prize, but got a trophy for being the most beautiful. That should have been enough ,but apparently the father was destroyed because she didn't technically place in the final line up. He went on and on about how he would have to sit down and explain to Ava that this just wasn't her day and that the judging just wasn't fair and she would have to try again next time. Do you think for a second that a little girl who has no idea what a pageant is or why she has to do it and can only put 3 words together at a time really feels disappointment in herself for not getting the big trophy. The fact that she got one should have been reason enough to celebrate her.

Besides that issue I really don't think fake eyelashes, spray on tan, flipper partials, hair pieces, intense gymnastics training, and reminding your child that he/she is more beautiful and more talented than the rest of the other children, not to mention giving the pedofiles of the world a really great new show to watch (promoting kiddie porn) are probably the best choices to make as a parent or network executive. I know everyone thinks their child is the greatest and most talented and beautiful. It is just human nature, but you aren't doing your child any favors by letting them really believe that they are more perfect than everyone else or at least they are when they are covered in makeup, fake lashes, tan, partials, hair pieces and $2,000 dollar dresses. You don't want your kids, especially your daughters to find their self worth inside of a beaded gown or buried underneath a bunch of makeup. Especially when they all will go through that pre-teen, big tooth, uncoordinated phase of maturity. Not to mention the amount of money parents spend going to, participating in these pageants only to win $100 or nothing at all and leave with a crying, disappointed little girl. At the end of the day when the little girl that won $5,000 went home with her mom all she got was a good job and a $10.00 bottle of perfume from the dollar store. Her mom, however, got a $800 handbag and a bunch of new clothes. Now I wonder why people spend so much time questioning their motives.