Dear "Miss" Queens

This is going to be different from my normal posts.  It's still about travel and still about the great state of Louisiana, but in a slightly different vein.

Dear Miss Queen,

When you won your title, you were likely filled with a euphoria that cannot be compared. You know who else felt that euphoria, the little queens of your court.  They watched you being crowned, watched as the mantle and train were placed upon your shoulders, and watched as you waved to you adoring crowd.

Do you remember watching your first "Miss" queen being crowned?

In the majority of Louisiana Fairs and Festivals, there are children's pageants as well as a pageant for older girls.  Some of these little girls are doing it for fun, some are pushed by their mothers, and some are doing it to experience the unique fairs and festivals of Louisiana, to find the one or two that will stay in their hearts forever.

Sadly few fairs and festivals include their little queens in activities past the pageant.  It is, understandably, a very lucrative festival fundraiser.  To the fairs and festivals that do include their little royalty, that make private FB groups, and whose "Miss" queen takes an active role in reaching out to her court, I say, "You are awesome.  You realize the potential of your young royalty, and you know that the impression you make on them is lasting."

You were once that young, impressionable, six, eight, or 10-year-old girl.  You once saw the beautiful girl get crowned.  You wanted to be her.  Now you are her, and you have little girls who want to be YOU.  You have your own built-in fan club.

I get it.  Not everyone is a kid person, particularly for the tiny, tiny queens.  Not everyone wants to deal with pageant moms (I really try my best not to be a stereotypical pageant mom. I promise!).  But this is not about them.  It's about the girls who are on the cusp of finding out who they are, who are starting to form opinions of their own, and who are defining their own personalities.  YOU can have an active role in their lives.  And, as their "Miss" queen, you should.

You are not just an ambassador for your festival.  You are a role model.  And you probably relish being a role model, because if you didn't, you wouldn't be a festival queen.

If you take away nothing else from this, please, please do the following:  know their faces, know their names.  Smile when you see them (you are important to them!).  Include them when you can.  Treat them like your little sisters.  Let their enthusiasm bolster you.  Help them be the best little queens they can be.  They want to be just like you one day.  Be worthy of that.