Spankings or Pageants: Which is the bigger form of child abuse?
Photo from smh.com.au
I remember back in the day when I was a Von Toddler….
The Von Archives: Me 4-years-old
…there were a few unfortunate occasions when I had the mouth of a drunken sailor. My mother’s answer to this behavior was to take out the wooden spoon and plant it squarely across my ass. When my legs grew a bit longer, allowing me to have a fair running start from her and her spoon, she would perform what I liked to call, “The Yanking of the Pigtails.” My mother made me wear my hair in pigtails for the first ten years of my life. She did this so she would have a convenient handle and instantaneous method for causing me pain when I decided to take off or if I refused to go where she ordered. I guess I’m lucky she didn’t throw shoes at me from a sixth floor window like her mom did to her. I think having shoes thrown at her actually scarred my mother because she only wears them when completely necessary. All other times she’s barefoot.
Things were completely different back in the day. Neighbors were even allowed to give you a smack for your parents if you mouthed off in front of them! Just try doing that in public now and you can bet Child Services will be called on your ass faster than you can say, “Buster Brown!”
In my opinion, the reason we have so many wise ass kids in society today is the direct result of the lack of corrective parental violence. Honestly, how many times can a parent say, “use your inside” voice sweetie?” Trust me, it’s only a matter of time before that parent will be screaming at the top of his or her lungs in a note an octave higher than Mozart’s Queen of the Night, “LISTEN TO ME YOU LITTLE BASTARD OR I’M GONNA SMACK THAT SMILE RIGHT OFF YOUR FACE!”…. and then they do it.
But there is something far more disturbing than using the wooden spoon on your child’s behind or a nice yanking of the pigtail. That “something” is a form of abuse that I believe is far worse than any “dragging your kid by the ear” incident. What I’m talking about is: Exposing Your Child to Beauty Pageants!
Photo: Rebecca Brabis TLC
Back in January of 2009, TLC aired its very first episode of Toddlers in Tiaras. The show is a behind the scenes look at what goes on in the lives of many of these mini Dolly Parton look a likes and displays how the mothers of these toddlers are able to temporarily fix their deep rooted self esteem issues by exploiting their children for prizes that are 250% less than what it cost for them to enter. If you take a look at these moms you will come to the conclusion that each and every one of them has the self worth of a ten cent hooker and is living cowardly in the shadows of their offspring.
Take toddler Mia Grande for example.
Photo: Hillary Kurtz TLC
At the ripe old age of two, Mia’s mother, we’ll call her “Certifiable Lunatic”, decided that to win the grand prize her daughter would have to dance on stage to Madonna’s, Like A Prayer, while unzipping her white robe to reveal a gold, skimpy ensemble with huge cones on her chest just like the Material Girl wore in the 90’s…totally normal. I especially like how “Certifiable Lunatic” went the extra mile with adding the rosary beads. Good work mom!
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Video courtesy of 32FLoz
I mean what 2-year-old doesn’t walk around looking like a Vegas showgirl?
Then there’s 2-year-old Maverick and 3-year-old Hayden who are clearly being forced into gender roles that they may not wish to be forced into.
