disconcerting...

Much to my chagrin Toddlers and Tiaras is back on the air for a new season. Oh, yeah, I'm so excited...really. I tried to watch one episode and I lasted all of 10 minutes before the nausea took over and prompted me to turn the channel before I ruined my Mom's rug.

It was sick and twisted and sad. I didn't even know who I felt the worst for: the children who were fluffed and teased into a beauty box or the parents who suffered abuse from the hands of the very monsters they created.

While I am personally convinced that my children are cuter than almost all children featured on TV or in magazines, there is no way I would subject them to that bullshit.  I mean, the girls, little girls, are made up and dressed like prostitutes and then prance around shaking things they do not have like strippers. Is that really the best thing to teach a little girl?  I think my Cait could win without anything other than chapstick (She always wants some when I apply mine.) And if Caitlin ever wanted to participate and asked me "Please" I would allow her to, but she damn sure wouldn't look like the other slutlettes; she would look like the sweet and beautiful little girl she is.

And has anyone noticed that a majority of the moms are just not all that cute? Can you say over-compensation?  Maybe I don't feel the need to doll Cait up because I think I'm already cute and I also think she's cute...as is. While I am making damn sure she has a solid self image and I love that she looks in the mirror and says, "pretty" she also will know she has great value and worth beyond the fact that she's cute. I also want her to realize she, in no way, must fulfill my personal wishes for her life. So many parents relive out their own lives through their children. Mom doesn't feel beautiful and popular so her daughter must be everything she never was...hummm, well that sounds like it'll work.

I wonder how often that backfires? The dad that MUST have the football star son and gets a poet. The Mom has MUST have the beauty queen and end up with a tomboy. As for me, I just want healthy, well adjusted kids that know their worth and respect differences. However, if T wants to be a cheerleader and Cait wants to be the next Mia Hamm, I'm all about it! Would I prefer a certain life for the kids? Yeah, I have ideas. For example, I'd like for my kids to not be teachers. Why? So, they can make more money for less stress and aggravation, especially since it seems they will be paying off my student loans.
The whole "I never got to...so my child will" attitude is just not so healthy. It focuses way too much on negative things. I mean, even my folks have it a little bit, but even though there's was making sure we always had gifts for birthday and Christmas, it still focused on negative events of their own childhoods. Hell, we would have never noticed if we hadn't had the things we had.

It's just so sad to do that to kids. I mean, I'm finding it easy enough to screw up with my kids and probably scar them for life without pushing all my personal baggage on them.  *sigh* Now, that would be a tragedy!