When I put Jocie in pageants almost 10 years ago, there were sooooo many other moms who said “It’s so expensive and it’s a scam, don’t do it!” “The competitions are rigged” “Other pageant girls/moms are vicious”…
I never had a single person attempt to dissuade me from signing my boys up for Boy Scouts, baseball or basketball. Neither of my boys are wilderness experts or pro ballers, but they learned how to carry themselves as young men, work as part of a team, gain confidence, make friends and had some fun. And I know a lot of of families spending a small fortune on sports even though their kids probably won’t ever make money playing or be on the cover of a magazine.
Grandparents, Jocie, my friends and I have absolutely spent a lot of money on registration, wardrobe and accessories, coaching and hotel rooms. Currently Jocelyn Williams is your 2024 Princess of America Miss Southern States. She loves wearing her crown and sash for sure, but this weekend she’s traveling to NE to spend the weekend with other queens, and root on the next group of girls and young women competing for a 2024 POA title. The people she’s spending money to cheer on will be her competition at nationals in Branson this summer. She’s raising money for American Heart Association and raising awareness of heart health on her free time as a sophomore at MO State. She bought a CPR dummy with her own money to continue to teach CPR to anyone who will listen. I am so proud of her and I know that her confidence, her heart for supporting other women, her closest friendships, and her dreams have been driven by her inspiration and experiences in pageantry. She’s attended two pageants already this year with different systems to support her friends she competed with in the past.
I don’t know why pageants have the twisted reputation they have, but I’m here to say it’s not true. If your daughter has any desire to compete in pageants, please support her. This post isn’t made to ask you to donate money or anything, but if you have in the past, THANK YOU! I couldn’t have supported her dreams without the support of many of you. This post is to remind you to support the dreams of your little girls.
Pageants have taught her…
Confidence
Public speaking
Community engagement
How to be a friend
How to lose with grace
…and she’s had a ton of fun and made lifelong friends.
If you have a daughter who may enjoy pageantry, Jocelyn or I would be happy to share our experience and root her on!
