Toddlers & Tiaras

shediva1

I was watching TLC's "Toddlers & Tiaras" this weekend and was just shocked at how some toddlers look 35+ yrs old after they are done up. 

Just wondering if you were a pageant kid did you enjoy it?

Will you be enrolling your child in these competitions?

mlstagner

I watched the season premier and thought it was kind of sad...

I was never in a pageant as a child... I asked to be in one once, but then my mom told me it would interfere with sports that I was involved in and I said nevermind

shediva1

Me too, I had asked to be in one when I was younger but thank goodness my mom said no!  I think I just wanted to wear the pretty dresses and have my hair done when I was little.

forensicmama

This show is revolting. I would never do that to my child. Never.

christinaramirez08

I have never been in one and will never consider putting my child in one. They are horrible and only teach little girls that they need to be perfect in order to be accepted by society.

We are constantly trying to teach our children to be individuals and comfortable with themselves, and this is teaching them the complete opposite.

That show makes me sick to my stomach!!!

ecartstan

I never did pageants, but I was a child model for 6 months as a 3 yr old.  Apparently, I found it fun for 3 weeks.  I have vague memories of doing runway walks and being stuck with push pins to make the clothes fit properly.  Once I fulfilled the contract, my parents said I asked to quit and they let me.  

I would not put my LO in pageants.  I even put it in my will stating the guardian of my child cannot put my child in pageants.  The lawyer thought it was funny, but I was dead serious.

PearlPink

If my daughter wanted to be in them I wouldn't stop her. I see  "stage" makeup on girls in dance classes so the makeup to me is no different. Its for stage time only.

When I watch that show, my problem is more with the pushiness of the mom's who force their daughter to be in the pageant when she clearly doesn't want to be, teach them provocitve dance moves, and tells them they need to 'get pretty' for the show. Generally just the pushy stage mom crap. I had a friend who did them, loved it, and her mom and her did it to have a good time. I think the child gets what the parent teaches them out of it. My friend didn't think she was only pretty with gallons of makeup on, and that nobody liked girls who weren't perfect.

I would have LOVED doing them when I was little, but like I said I'd only do it if my daughter wanted to, and I'd only do it to the point I felt she could handle.

scarlettoctober

I might let a daughter do a natural pageant or two if she really wanted to and it was a local thing.  The full glitz stuff, though?  No freakin' way.

MrsNash37212

Did you see the one with the girl whose name was spelled "Saryniti"? I literally threw up in my mouth and had to turn it off. Addictive train wreck or not, I just couldn't take anymore after that.

nycegrrl99

I participated in many pageants as a child, though only a few handfuls were full glitz (very expensive). I loved it and found the entire process to be fun and empowering. My mother was not a stage mom in any way and she simply encouraged me to like myself and others in whatever package God had provided. I made friends on the circuit that I still know and love today. I went on to earn advanced degrees in education (with the help of a few scholarships I had won) and I remember those times fondly. I have two daughters of my own now (6 & 7) and they aren't interested in pageants so we don't do them.

 If they wanted to to compete in one I'd be happy to do it, but they have other interests and I respect that. Please don't let a show like T & T, which is designed to show these pageants (and parents)  at their worst, be your only  source of information. 

KathleenCB

I've never watched a full show-previews alone turn my stomach.  It just seems wrong to me.

LauriJean_2009

forensicmama:

This show is revolting. I would never do that to my child. Never.

This is how I feel.

Somehow this ended up on my TV last night (MH had the remote).  I said, "Please change the channel to anything but this."

It's just disgusting.

cnw112784

it just looks so bizzare to me when these girls like little doll old women, and their moms look like complete trainwrecks...some of them....also I want to keep my daughter as innocent as possible, not put make up and nails on her at 5 years old

itsmegin

I am strangely fascinated by that show. I will not put my daughter in pageants. DH's sister did them and DH even did one once I don't think they were as crazy then as they are now.

amberdrabik

I can't stand to even watch the commercials for this show.

I was in 3 pageants when I was younger but NOTHING like this.  In fact, I'm pretty sure I didn't have any makeup on.  I think wearing pretty dresses and having your hair done is fun for a little girl, but all the makeup, sassiness/drama, and attitude from such little girls is just awful.

pag41989

As a child I wanted to be in pageants so bad. I'm not sure why but I was always fascinated with them but my mother refused to put me in any. If my daughter asked to be in one I would enter her just for something fun to do. Our local county pageant has a little miss pageant that I think has a 5 dollar entry fee and most of the girls wear sundresses. I think the show disgusts me more because they force it on their daughters.. I don't want my daughter to be a quitter so I would at least have her finish the pageant she begged me to enter and if she didnt want to do anymore after that then we would be done. I am not going to force my daughter to do something against her will and I can't believe those moms actually put fake teeth in their daughter's mouth... yuck

maryNamory

hell I think the disney princess package puts too much make up on little girls let alone the pageants.    I don't like the idea in general due to the image issues and over serious competitive behavior it starts so early.  However as bad as some of the parents are I saw one mom who was upset with her daughter, not because she didn't win but because she didn't cheer her friend who did.   Part of me feels like right on! good sportsmanship lesson, but the other part of me feels like this little girl will grow up and be fake friends with people.