by Priscilla Benfield

Created on: June 01, 2010

As much as anyone wants to argue this with me, I still insist that there is absolutely no benefit to a preschooler being in a talent contest or beauty pageant. I was in the business of teaching dance to children and attended many competitions and pageants over a long period of time.

Inevitably, you are always going to meet the parent who says that it is their child's choice to compete. A preschooler cannot possibly understand all that goes along with making this kind of choice. It is a competition and the object is to win. When a child goes on stage, does their routine and does not win, there are feelings of inadequacy. Parents will say that this is good because it teaches them to work harder for next time.

The problem with many competitions and pageants is that they are not always fairly judged. Many times, judges have favorites and I have personally seen the same children win again and again because they have become the favorites.

The pressure on someone to go out and perform and be judged, often very critically judged, is enough to stress out an adult. To subject a preschooler to this is not fun and any parent who says their child enjoys this because they are a little "ham" is a liar. Usually the parent, grandparent or other guardian is trying to live through this child. It is sad that children are taught at a young age to use their looks or dance ability in this way.

I have nothing against a preschooler who takes dance lessons and enjoys performing for the sake of performing. It is good for self-esteem and as long as the only pressure is trying to do their best because they want to show their skills and not so that they can bring home a trophy or cash prize, performing for the love of it is fine. When the line is crossed and it becomes about winning, that is where the problems lie.

I have witnessed parents yelling at exhausted preschoolers who are whiny and just want to be a kid for a change but are forced to compete in pageants. These events often last hours and can become quite tiring for preschoolers who do not have the attention span or patience for it. I have never seen a preschooler who enjoyed the long hours of a pageant.

Parents do not seem to understand what they are teaching their children by encouraging participation in these kind of events. It is damaging to their self-esteem and gives them an unrealistic vision of what is important in life. Parents who put their children into these kind of situations need to examine their motives. They need to work on their own self-esteem and realize that their child's accomplishments are not a reflection on them. They cannot redeem themselves based on how well their child does in a beauty pageant.

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