There's a lot that goes into preparing and winning pageants. Hair, makeup, false teeth, hairspray, intricate costumes, money, and you can't forget the crazy mothers screaming in the crowd. Children that compete in these pageants range from 2 to 10-years-old. Some are even younger, and, of course, these children don't always enter pageants by choice.

Being a young woman who has entered in pageants during her toddler days, the memories were blurry, but as I got older, my mother told me why she stopped putting me in pageants. I was a year old and it was after I had entered in three pageants and placed in all of them, but the last pageant, I placed first.The parents were mad and the daughters seemed so disappointed. It wasn't a happy celebration setting; She didn't want to encourage that type of environment around me. She saw how mothers would cake on their children's makeup and reinforce how important these pageants are to them.

Children should be able to enjoy being a kid and not have to worry about how they should look or act at such a young age. But there are a few positive qualities that I got out of being in pageants. Encouraging a sense of competition is healthy, but when you are only doing it for the wins, tiaras and money, the child can develop serious psychological problems over time.

Little girls are taught to care a lot about their looks and understand that's one of the main factors they're being judged for during a competition. Another factor is talent; Can my daughter dance? Is she athletic? Can she sway the judges? I do believe all this stress on a child can cause PTSD and anxiety.

So many things can be brought up about beauty pageants, but my concluding point is to invest in your children's potential. Listen and react to what they are telling you and don't force something that isn't there. Give them the opportunity to make their own choices. For my future child, I want he or she to know that they can do anything they put their mind to what they love whether it's sports, art or music. Giving the child an opportunity to express themselves can only lead to a happy being.