Pageant Mom - I'll Never Understand It

I had a first in my life this week. I was a pageant mom. It was a huge learning experience for me.

Princess Five felt like she wanted to do a pageant. I have asked each of my girls if they wanted to do a pageant when they were in high school and most of them said they didn't want to do it.
 
Princess Four wanted to do it her senior year but she was also doing sterling scholar, speaking at graduation, and a bunch of other things so I talked her out of it as I felt like we didn't have the time to actually do it. 

Many people called me over the years asking if I wanted to put my girls in the "Little Miss" type pageants, but since I grew up with a national title holder Beauty Queen as a mother, it wasn't something I wanted to promote in my girls. 

I have been to several National Pageant Reunions with my mother and most of the pageant Queens are VERY self centered and I found that I didn't want my daughters to think that their worth was their looks as that can change at any point in their life! 

Looking at myself, I have always been able to be thin but, due to health, I have gained 100 lbs and can't lose it no matter what I do so if my value was on my looks only, I would be in trouble. I still struggle with the weight issues but I KNOW I have worth.
 
When the girls are near graduation, I figured their worth is already established so I haven't worried about it as none of them wanted to do pageants anyway. 

So, having Princess Five compete in a beauty pageant this past week was new to me. I would have thought I knew everything to know about pageants but really, I learned that pageants aren't what they used to be and that it is all in what the judges are told to do and what their personal opinion is. 
 
Princess Five didn't win but is already signed up to do another pageant in June as they both had the same sign up date. I don't think this was her happiest experience in the world but as she met tonight for pictures for the second pageant, I can see that she has already learned a few things in the way she got ready for this meeting verses her first meeting with the other pageant. 

It should be interesting to see how this one goes. I was frustrated that for her talent, I called the stage crew over a week in advance telling them she needed a wireless transmitter for her guitar and a body mic. She got there for her practice, no transmitter and the cord didn't work. Next day, cord and no transmitter and the mic was popping and hissing. They special ordered the transmitter overnight. I never got to see her do it on stage and the first time they had the transmitter was the dress rehearsal. She gets on stage to do her talent and you can't hear her. They turn up her mic, she can't hear the guitar and there is feedback. They turn them both down and you can hear part of her regular singing and part over the speaker. 
 
Yes, I feel like a pageant mom wanting to go and yell at the tech crew! I didn't do it, but venting about it in the car, Princess Five asked me to stop being a pageant mom and I had to remind her SHE wanted to be in it! We both took a second to rewind and it was fine in the end but I will have something to say to the tech crew before the next pageant! 

Watch out for Pageant Mom! ;-)