Child beauty pageants pros and cons

So you think you want to enter your child in a beauty pageant? Or perhaps you're just curious about child pageants after watching related shows on television. As a "pageant Nana" and as a former certified pageant judge, I can honestly say that I've seen the best and the worst of the beauty pageant world. Two of my granddaughters, two of my grandsons, and my niece have all been involved with child beauty pageants, on the local, state, and natio

nal level.

The cons of child beauty pageants

Child beauty pageants, or any beauty pageants, for that matter, can be wonderful or terrible, or somewhere in between. Much of it depends on the pageant director and the pageant moms or pageant parents.

Let's start with the pageant director. She's in charge of choosing the prizes, choosing qualified and impartial judges, and managing the beauty pageant. A good director will make sure that the pageant runs smoothly and efficiently. She'll also ensure that all the events are held on time. A good Pageant director will choose judges who know what to look for and are fair in their assessments of the contestants.

Many of the cons associated with child beauty pageants are related to the pageant moms or pageant parents or grandparents. Child beauty pageants can be a frightening experience for some kids. They don't want to get all dressed up and parade in front of an audience of strangers. If your child doesn't really want to do a pageant, she should never be forced to do so. Child beauty pageants should be something the kid wants to do - not something the parent wants to do.

If you do enough pageants, you're likely to encounter a few bad pageant moms. Thankfully, from my experience, these are few and far between, but they do exist. When their child doesn't win, they blame everyone - the judges, the director, the other pageant moms, and even sometimes the other contestants. You might also see some bad winners. These pageant moms can be rude and nasty even when their child wins.

If a little girl or boy enters a pageant with the wrong attitude, they can be emotionally hurt when they don't win. The child's attitude is learned from the parent. The kids need to see pageants as fun and exciting and not focus solely on winning.

Other cons of child beauty pageants include the monetary cost and the amount of time involved. Pageants can be super expensive. For glitz beauty pageants, you'll need a wiglet or fall, a glitz pageant dress, a hairbow, a choker, professional pageant photos, and the right shoes and socks. To be truly competitive, your child might also need modeling lessons and a pageant coach. You'll also need to hire a hair and makeup person for the pageant, along with someone to tan your child. Of course, on top of all this, you'll have to pay the pageant entry fee. If the pageant is out of town, you'll have to include travel costs, too.

Your child will have to practice on a regular basis for pageants - unless, of course, your entering a baby. Even toddlers will be expected to "perform" on stage in most larger glitz pageants.

Pros of child beauty pageants

Child beauty pageants can be very rewarding experiences. My group loves doing beauty pageants and just can't seem to get enough of them! My granddaughters haven't done one in a while, and they're constantly begging me to be in another pageant. My youngest granddaughter, who's ten months old, will be entering her first beauty pageant in two weeks. My niece, who's fourteen, is still very involved in pageants and does them on a regular basis.

Why do our kids love child beauty pageants? The younger girls say they feel like princesses in their pageant dresses. They love all the attention and being fussed over. One is a natural ham and adores the stage and the applause of the crowd.

Kids can gain a lot of self-confidence from child beauty pageants. They learn to be comfortable in front of an audience, and they learn to be comfortable talking to adults.

Child pageants are also a great way for kids to make new friends. The younger girls are rarely competitive with each other, and I've often seen them root for other kids - even those in the same age division. They have loads of fun playing with each other backstage.

Other pros of child beauty pageants are the wonderful prizes awarded. Of course, these vary from pageant to pageant. Some of the prizes offered might include trophies, crowns, sashes, crowning pins, money, savings bonds, toys, stuffed animals, iPods, televisions, cameras, trips, DVD players, modeling lessons, jewelry, luggage, monogrammed robes, and furniture for kids' rooms.