You Look Beautiful, Dahling

This weekend my two-and-a-half-year-old niece is being entered into a kids' beauty pageant at Ward Warehouse, and I'm not too sure how I feel about it.

First of all, she's not the most outgoing kid in the world. I mean, she's even shy around my parents (her grandparents)! I just went to her May Day performance, and let me tell you that she wasn't one of those kids singing their brains out. I wonder how she'll do if she has to strut her stuff down the runway?

Secondly, she's not even three years old. She doesn't know any better so it's not as if she wants or doesn't want to do it. At this age, the parents are running the show. I suppose this is where the stage mother/father is born. However, it's hard to picture either my brother or my sister-in-law as an overbearing stage parent.

On the other hand, this exposure to other children and I suppose "performing" might just give her a little push toward being outgoing. It may give her self confidence to see her family cheering her on. Exposure like this could lead to the development of a confident, young woman. After all, I'm told she was voted most photogenic in her preschool, so I guess this would be a constructive outlet for that.

Still, I'm quite wary about the weirdos and pervs out there (See Exercise Does A Body Good? for a sample). I'm sure nothing will happen but just the idea of it creeps me out. Remember all those eerie Vegas showgirl-like pictures of JonBenet Ramsay? Yuck!