Enough is Enough

Please watch the video before you read the blog...
No peeking!
Mia <<<---- Go on, click it!


Let that digest for just a moment!

*sigh* *deep breath*... RANT!!!!!

Being a mom, I am all about telling your daughter how beautiful she is, inside and out! From her beautiful hair to her sparkling personality.  Being validated at home will cause less worry (for the parents) when she is older, ensuring that she does not NEED a guy to tell her she's beautiful, because she will already know it!

Every girl, at one point in time, wants to be a princess, a model or a superstar, with the spotlight on them.  And that is fine, as long as it is for a purpose that should generally benefit the child, i.e. college, positive career role, etc.

But when is enough, enough?  When a child is forced to wear an article of clothing that only a rockstar would wear? (No offense, Madonna... What works for you, does not work for me)!  Parents who support the pageant industry have gone completely crazy! From buying false teeth for their 6 year old who lost a tooth over the summer: Here's a Pic. You can google "Flipper for Pageants" for more info.

I will admit, the children who are entered into pageants are absolutely breathtaking! Just look at this one!  So, I'll ask again... When is enough, enough?  Parents have gone from entering their child in these pageants to living vicariously through them. And the saddest part... the kids are suffering from it. Not just at a toddlers age, but on up in years.  Parents are causing their children to believe that beauty will get you everywhere in life... Not so for this contestant. I feel sorry for her. While she is beautiful, in my mind, I imagine her life was handed to her on a silver platter. She never 'wanted' for anything and obviously banked on her looks earning her an income. Sadly, parents, this isn't true. It's a blessing to have looks, it's a right to be intelligent and it's sheer stupidity to forego said intelligence for extra looks...

Now, back to the first video you watched.  What was your take on it?  Humorous? Vanity? Exploitation? BREEDING GROUND FOR PEDOPHILES???  Remember her?  Sure, many of you will.  But what about the new moms who are raising daughters and flaunting them about on stage, in skimpy costumes to erotic music (and making them shake their hips)... Heaven forbid anything happen, but do you honestly think they will be shaking their hips if they were to be abducted? (I seriously do not want anything to happen to ANY child, that is why this blog is what it is... To educate and make you think outside the box).

One website said, and I'm paraphrasing here, that, "pageants give little girls the chance to play Cinderella."  That's fine... To defend the con's of pageants, "What they are learning basically is that they have one characteristic which is of total primary importance, and that is their body and their attractiveness" ... "baby swans often become ugly adolescent ducklings, a development that could usher in a host of emotional problems in young adulthood."  Source: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=126315&page=1 <--- It's an interesting story, you should read it sometime.

The whole truth is: Parents are instilling in their children positive and negative experiences by the truck load, with no opportunity to further explain them.  No opportunity for the child to ask why?  Not even an opportunity for the kids to say, "No, mom. I don't want to do this?" But why would they? Getting every bit of attention, fancy clothes and the right to throw a fit on stage if their parents made them mad. This little Beauty Queen knows how to do it.  And, no, I don't think I would give it up either... If it weren't for the fact that my grandmother raised me acknowledging that I am beautiful, with morals, a bit of common sense, and the ability to know when enough is enough! *Love you, Grandma!*

Until Tomorrow,
LaVonda