Quote From: jpf1715 Let me start of by saying I'm the father of a little girl that does pageants. My daughter is my the focus of my life. A couple of years ago my wife approached me wanting to enter my daughter in a small local pageant. My lil girl wanted to try it as well. I was dead against it. Like many on here I had preconceived notions of how the pageant world was. I hated the thoughts of pageants. I had seen the TV documentaries. I'd seen the Jon Benay Ramsey headlines and horror stories like everyone else. I wanted nothing to do with beauty pageants. But, this was a small local pageant so I decided to let my daughter try it just once. My daughter entered the pageant. No she didn't win, but she placed runner up. I watched her face on the stage and she had a blast. My daughter absolutely loved it. So I thought if she really like it. I'd give it a chance for awhile and let her do them.
My wife and I sat down and we laid out some ground rules on any future pageant endeavors. That this wouldn't rule our life not more than any other childhood activity. First and foremost this would only continue as long as my daughter enjoys it and wants to continue doing it. That it wouldn't put us in a bind financially. There were other things, but I'm not going to get into everything here today. But the most important thing remained, that my daughter enjoyed doing them and that she wanted to do them. Once that changed we'd no longer continue to do them.
Without going on and on about it. My daughter started winning these local pageants and kept winning. She lost occasionally, but she won a lot. But it didn't matter if she won or she lost. She had a blast. We moved on up to bigger pageants on the state level and she did well at those to. Well, we finally stepped into the big pageants, the nationals. She took her lumps at first placing well but not winning. But she was undaunted and continued to enjoy it. When she finally won at this level she was thrilled. But I noticed something, she still had the same demeanor she had when she competed and didn't win. She just loved competing. She loved dressing up in the pageant dresses, the beautiful outfits, getting her hair all fixed up and getting on stage. She loves the functions that many of the pageants have for the girls. The dances, pizza parties, playing in the pools at the hotels with the other girls. She's made new friends at the pageants her own age from different places, different states that she would have never met.
But, the biggest thing I've noticed about my daughter since competing in pageants. Confidence. Not only at pageants but in life. She's not afraid to get up in front of a room full of people and speak. Be it an onstage question at a pageant or in front a room full of people, parents, and students at school. Before she would barely speak to anyone until she was around them for a bit, not to mention get up in front a room full of folks. Last year at one of the big pageants. She was watching the older girls competing in the talent competitions. She told her mother and I that she'd wanted to try that at the next pageant. Something before she would never have considered. So the next pageant she gets up in a huge ballroom full of people singing and dancing. Before getting up on stage, I asked her if she was scared. She said no Daddy, I'm fine. Little did she know I was plenty nervous for her. She amazed me. Nope, she didn't win talent. But she was so happy with herself getting up there and competing.
Now there has to be balance in life. My daughter does plenty besides pageants. She takes tap and ballet. She plays both baseball and basketball. I'll support her in whatever endeavor she wants to try in life. I still ask her to this day, do you still enjoy doing pageants. She still says yes.
I only posted on here because I just happen to be flipping channels and seen Bonnie on TV. So I got on here, checked out this site, and read the message boards. I've met both Bonnie and Madison. Only once at a pageant last year. They were lovely people and great to get to know. Madison and my daughter played together and had fun. I talked with Bonnie and found her to be a very genuine person who supports her daughters endeavors. Madison didn't seem to be forced to do this. She was in fact just the opposite. Madison seemed to really enjoy pageantry. I even talked to her about it. Madison is a very normal little girl who just happens to be very very good on the pageant scene. It's easy to judge something when your on the other side of the fence looking over. I know, I shared many of the same thoughts and notions many of you do. But once I got to see the other side and really understood what was going on. I changed my mind. My daughter changed my mind. Attending a pageant is a family event for us. My wife and I both go with my daughter.. It's something we all enjoy. When and if my daughter finally decides to hang up her tiara. Then it's over.
(Original Air Date: 02/16/06) Every parent thinks his or her child is special, but these mothers are obsessed with making their child a star -- so much so, they're willing to sacrifice their marriages and divide their families. Kari and Bonnie are sisters who are at war because Bonnie encourages her 8-year-old daughter to wear make-up, false teeth and spray-on tans to compete in high-glitz beauty pageants. Kari says the pageants should be outlawed, and fears her niece will become prey for pedophiles. Will Bonnie learn to see Kari's point of view? Then, Ranel is convinced her daughter is the next Dakota Fanning and will stop at nothing to see her child's name in lights. Her husband, Charles, says she's neglecting their younger daughter and their marriage. Can they come to an agreement? And, a mother faces criticism and mockery for putting her 6-year-old son in beauty pageants. Is she making a mistake? Talk about the show here
