Child Pageants: How I Got Involved
You’ve probably seen child pageants on television. If not, you’ve most likely at least heard about toddler pageants in the news or from friends. Most of what you heard probably wasn’t good. I can empathize with you because I used to feel kind of the same way. My best friend had been putting her daughter, my niece, into child pageants for several years, and I really didn’t think it was such a good idea. Of course, I felt that it was none of my business, so I stayed out of it. When a pageant for charity was held in my hometown, I was convinced by my pal that entering my granddaughter in the pageant would be a good idea. I did so, mainly since the proceeds went for a good cause.
I was pleasantly surprised at our first experience with toddler pageants. The pageant was well run and well organized. Before the pageant, everyone was very helpful, friendly, and supportive – even the mothers of the other contestants. When my granddaughter won, I thought, “Okay. This is it. This is when the other pageant moms and pageant grandmothers are going to bare their claws and fangs.” That didn’t happen, either. In fact, my granddaughter and the little girl who got first runner-up became friends. As we continued with pageants, we did have a couple of bad experiences, but those were definitely in the minority.