the
reluctant pageant mom by Laura Lucy
W
hen you’re expecting a child, your mind runs wild with thoughts about what kind of parent you’ll be and what your child will be like. Will I be a cool mom? A tough mom? A crunchy mom? A soccer mom? A dance mom? What will my kid be passionate about and how can I help her figure out what that is? Of all the scenarios I dreamed up, there’s one I never imagined that has now become my reality. I’m a pageant mom. I never planned to become a pageant mom. I mean, I like shiny objects as much as the next girl, but I can barely manage a braid, much less a bouffant. My personal style tends more toward jeans and flip flops than crowns and bling. Around this time last year, a friend reached out to encourage me to enter my then-first grade daughter, Vivian, in a local pageant. Her teenage daughter, also not a traditional pageant girl, was the reigning Miss Okaloosa County and had enjoyed a wonderful year as a queen. I asked Vivi if she was interested, and after I had to explain what a pageant is, she said yes, and we were all in.
18 • Tell them you saw it in ON THE COAST Magazine
I was well-versed in Toddlers and Tiaras and fully expected a sea of over-glammed tots with fake teeth and high hair at the pageant. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Miss Okaloosa County system was more natural, with no makeup allowed on the little girls and no outrageous costumes (which I now know are called Outfit of Choice, or OOC). While I stressed about Vivi wearing her Easter dress as some girls wore beaded ball gowns, and her stick-straight hair losing curl despite my repeated attempts to bend it to my will, she nailed the interview with the judges and ended up winning the darn thing. You could say Vivi is a bit of a talker. She gets that from her dad, bless their hearts. What started as a whim on a Sunday afternoon turned into a life-changing event for our whole family. The pageant itself was fun for the girls, but that was just a small part of life as Little Miss Okaloosa County. If you’ve followed my writings, you know that Vivi is an only child, much to her lament. All of a sudden, she had sister queens. Hanging out with her Miss and Teen Miss is the coolest thing ever, and Tiny Miss and Toddler Miss are peas in a pod with her. continued on page 20
