**It's been awhile since I've written something like this, but once again, life has inspired me. It's been seven years since I wrote "Dear 'Miss" Queens," and just like then, the words just flowed.
Dear "Ms." Queens,
Respectfully, it's not about you. You competed just like the "Teen/Junior" contestants, just like "Miss" contestants. You wore the fancy dress, the interview suits, sat for hours and paid big bucks to look fabulous, but it's not about you. You felt the crown being placed on your head (you may have even shed tears when you were crowned). You have the banner and the matching outfits, but it's still not about you. It's about them.
No matter how great of a Ms. queen you are, as a full-grown adult, you are not going to be representing your title as well as a truly great Miss queen will. You have the responsibilities of work, and possibly of marriage and children. You are not expected to be everywhere all the time. It's not expected, because again, it's not about you.
As a Ms. queen, especially if you didn't have the opportunity to hold the title as a young woman, you get to experience something so few others will. You get to explore the great state of Louisiana through the eyes of one of its festival queens. You get to participate in events many may not even hear about, let alone take part of. But you are not the one the spotlight is on.
There is a reason most festival queens are between the ages of 17 and 23, not married, and not mothers. Do you remember how much freedom you had when you were that young, before mortgages and marriages, before babies and bills? These young women have the time, the energy, the ingenuity that may be in short supply for you now. Many of them are gaining leadership experience in high school and collegiate athletics, student government, or sororities. Being a Louisiana festival queen enhances all that they have to offer. And you get to be there as she grows into herself.
But you do not get to usurp her shine. And if you are doing that, ask yourself why that is. You can offer guidance (when asked), but all she really needs is to know that you're there for her. For this year you are there to reflect her shine right back onto her. She's the sun, but you can be the moon. You can and will light up when she does. When you do the "Ms." title right, you gain a little sister or daughter, a role model or older sister for your daughter or son, and most importantly, you gain a friend.
So be the Ms. queen that she needs. Help her to be the very best she can be. You will never regret helping her. And someday your daughter may be a Miss queen. Be the Ms. queen you want her to have.
