What's Up, Toddlers & Tiaras?

What do you think of a four-year-old girl wearing makeup and getting a spray tan for a beauty pageant? Well, the mothers of TLC's Toddlers & Tiaras live for it. They enter their kids, who are anywhere from the ages of two to eleven, in beauty pageants all over the country. Girls are not the only ones competing;  these pageant moms are now entering their boys in pageants, too.  Some fathers are also involved in the pageant process, whether with their daughter or son.

These pageant moms will go as far as making their daughters wear makeup, fake eyelashes, spray tans, fake hair, fake teeth, and even making them shave their legs. Then there are nail appointments, hair appointments, costume fittings, and rehearsals for their performance. The kids look almost fake and Barbie-like. While opponents argue that the kids are too young for this, pageant parents argue their children live for these competitions.

Regardless whether the child wants to do it or their parent is forcing them to compete, have these pageant parents gone to far?

If you have ever seen Toddlers & Tiaras, you understand the drama and preparation that goes into each and every pageant. Each little boy or girl is out there competing to win crowns, titles, and some cash.

Competing is costly. Some parents spend anywhere from $100-400 for a  pageant dress. Then each child must also prepare a talent for each competition-- singing, dancing, baton twirling, and any other talent that the parents think might help them win the beauty pageant. Lessons cost money.

Not only is it unwise to spend this money and make your child do all this work at such a young age, but some parents get so into the competitive nature of it that they say they hate some of the other children competing against theirs. This teaches children that they should hate everybody they compete against in life.

What about the diva factor-- are these kids divas or potential ones? Many of these kids demand attention all the time and believe that the world revolves around them because that is what these parents are putting into their heads. But maybe these kids just have too much pressure on them, and their parents don't even pay attention to them when they are crying and whining about being tired and not wanting to wear a particular outfit or even do the pageant.