Not Sure If I Should Please Help.

Talk to a professional modeling agency.
She may be outright gorgeous, but there is more to modeling than looks, particular for children. There is issues like stamina, energy, personality. She may be perfect for modeling or not. Also, it is a huge time commitment that may not bring steady income. Speak to a professional.
M.

I am not going to tell you what you should do. That's completely up to you. I guess I would just really think of all the pros and cons (I am sure you already have, and this "advice" is "preaching to the chior", as it were). Pros being paying for college and other potential opportunities in her life. Definitely a bonus!! Cons being possible publicity -are you OK with that? For whom and what is she modeling? I know she won't be modeling for Victoria's Secret at the ripe age of three, but some modeling companies are pretty aggressive with the "push" to be beautiful and glamorous at the age of five. Make sure you check out the people who you would be working with (again, not that you wouldn't, anyway). Last thing, I think, I would think about would be to ask myself "what message is she receiving" or "what will she get out of it, besides a college tuition"? I am not against it, but there is a lot to be aware of before getting into the business. You are her mother and you know what is best for your little girl. It might be kind of fun! But from a "faceless friend" and another mother, I guess I would just caution my friend to "keep it friendly" and not turn her childhood into a career. Those are my thoughts.

Hi there D.,

In repsonse to Ruth's comments, I myself am a former Miss Teen San Diego USA, Miss San Diego USA and have competed for Miss California USA, although I did not win Miss CA I learned a great deal about myself and how I want my life to be. I am a great warm loving person I love and respect myself and I adore my family and I embrace the positive people I surround myself and my family with.

Pageants can be expensive but I worked hard for sponsor ships, which paid for most of my dresses costumes and entry fees. also you become very educated in the pageant process, you learn a lot about current events, you get scholar ship money for school which I utilized well. It doesnt have to be all about beauty, but learning poise, how to speak well and building self confidence. You can still put your daughter in pageants at the same time teaching her to love who she is and if she doesnt win which doesnt always happen thats okay, we dont always get what we want in life. That is the same with acting, modeling etc. You get rejected quite a bit. It can be a tough business but with the right guidence and strength then anyone can get through it. My two boys do some modeling and commercials here and there, since we have moved here from California I have not pursued it as much yet because the business here isnt as big. But my boys ages 3 & 4 do a lot of fashion shows and some print work when needed. I plan as you do to save all of their money for college also.

Just like the entertainment business, ballet, sports and plays are the same, you dont get chosen for a role or lead dancer or to sit out this game etc it is all rejection for kids, but I tell my boys everytime, GREAT JOB, I praise them for trying and doing their best, i never put them down or make them feel like failures at all.

So anyone who is negative about the business has no idea of it. There are the pros and cons just like any thing in life. But we are the ones who will keep them grounded.

And for those who think that Modeling is expensive, doesnt know one thing about it. Modeling/acting never costs anything at all. kids between 0-5yrs of age only need polaroids or photos of them because they grow so fast and their looks change every month. Once they are older then yes it would be wise to invest in a portfolio. If you ever have to pay for any photots or for classes then walk the other way. If they want to represent your child they will ask for nothing. Only when they book something then you would pay an agent fee of 10-20%.

Hope that helped, My oldest son had a SAG agent in Los Angeles when he was first born until we moved here, and I had an agent for years when I was young. So I am pretty familiar with the business. We are actually trying to get my boys with a New York agency. We can fly for free so I can take them back and forth when needed. But since my 4 yr old is in pre-k right now I have put it on hold and only do local stuff. It is your choice and you will never know what could become of it if you dont try. Remember keep her grounded and be a positive supporter.

Hi D.!
I say, if you have the time, go for it!!
Please, do not be discouraged by people who say it is too expensive and too time consuming and not worth it. Just remember, YOU are in charge of how much or how little your daughter is involved and what she does and does not participate in. Yes, you can go overboard in spending, if you are not careful. We, however, chose not to dress our daughter up in "doll" clothes and makeup. And if she "fussed" and decided not to go through any of the judging then we were able to "pull" her rather than feel obligated to continue because we had made so many expenses. We never had to pull her because she loved it and she still placed! Even without all the clothes, etc. Yes, it is time consuming but she is your only child. We stopped when our second child was born and she didn't miss it, so we just "dropped" it. She did, however, continue with dance and loved it. Just remember that it should be fun and not work and if she decides to stop then stop, immediately. Now, take notice that I just spoke about Pageants. Pageants and modeling are not the same. Modeling is a completely different avenue but again, you must remember that YOU are in charge and YOU decide what she "does".
Here is the link for the modeling/talent agency a friend of mine placed her daughter in:
calliopetalent.com
There are a couple of others in San Antonio, as well.

As long as you do not depend on pageants and model/talent agencies as her sole avenue, you'll be fine. Do not get so enthralled in the idea that this is THE only "way" for her, either. When she is older you'll know what she wants to do and what she wants to participate in. For example, our daughter started at 1 yr in baby pageants and began dance at age three. She danced until she was 6 yrs then told us she didn't want to dance anymore but rather wanted to play Tball. Well, we signed her up and she played the season and had a great time. She then decided she wanted to "do" karate and gymnastics. Well, after the season she decided she no longer wanted to go to karate or gymnastics. Well, now she's doing really well in Soccer and Basketball and wants to start Softball, as well. See! Total 180 from pageants and modeling! And it's "OK"! As long as our children are happy and doing what they love, it's alll perfectly fine!!
When she was "little" we would "pull" her if she "fussed" but now that she is older (almost 10), our only "rule" is that once she begins an activity, she should complete it before deciding she doesn't want to do it, anymore.

Do you have her in dance?

I say try everything once and if it doesn't work, well at least you tried!

Just Have fun!!!
D.

It can be a great investment but it's also something that your DD would want to do. Also it's very expensive and very time consuming. Most of the moms in these contest are very devoted and most of the time it's thier only "job".
Carefully weigh your opinions- the pros and the cons.
Let us know how it goes.
Good Luck.

sweetie you don't know what you're getting into. First of all you spend 500 dollars for a 100 dollar prize. My sis in law did it for her daughter, she spend so much money on pics, dresses, shoes, hair, registration fees, etc. do the math. Its not worth it, show your daughter how to be a good student, to achieve scholarships, an education is always worth giving your child. Looks are only temporary darling, education is forever you take it to your grave, it is the most valuable treasure that ever existed, nobody can take that away from you, nobody. whoever told you that you saved money for college is not well informed, modeling is not cheap.

With your schedule, the odds are poor unless you live in a city with several agencies and jobs available, such as NYC or LA... there's a lot of time and travel involved just to get a job, and as a single working mom... I think it's a better investment of your time with her to just be mom.

Do a few local pageants, if you want - see where that leads, but kiddie modeling is high pressure and demands a lot for just the potential at rewards.

JMO
S.

Well, if she gets into it then it may be fun for her. But all the work that's involved may not be fun for her. It is very time consuming and exspensive to get started. My step-daughter was in pageants when she was a tddler and even won a few but my husband shelled out a lot of money. If you're just looking for college money, and she's so young, you have more than enough time to open some sort of an interest bearing account for her. With her being so young, you could open it with a small amt of money and also continue to put a small amount away for her every month. By the time she is of college age she will have more than enough money to make sure she has all the funds she'll need to have a successful future. I openend an account for my daughter, she is three also, through World Financial Group. My agent was so informative and answered all my questions, he worked out a personal financial plan according to the goals I would like to achieve. I feel much better about where I am financially now. He even showed me how to manage my money, and be able to save some for myself too! Here is my agents number
Sam Hummel ###-###-####. I don't get rewards or anything for referrals, I just want to help. In these times of financial insecurity it is good to find trustworthy people out there that just want to help you meet your goals. Ya Know? Good Luck! You can give him my name, Nora Bryson

Hey! I dont't know alot about this but I have 2 beautiful girls myself ( age 20 months and 3 years) and have often been told to enter my girls into pagents. I also do not know what to do. I dont want my girls to be exposed to this unless they want to and I am waiting until they are old enough to let me and their dad know what they want to do. God luck.

I don't know anything about kid modeling but I do know that you could open a college account now and save as little as twenty bucks a month and have a really good start once your daughter his college. Just another idea.

Make sure you do your research first!!! Friends of mine have tried modelling and it TAKES ALOT OF TIME AND MONEY AND ENERGY!!!

I have started a savings account with ING and set up a UPromise account to save for my daughter's future. I put in $50.00 a month and will see how much we have in 18 years.

Just my 2 cents!

J.