“I don’t want this,” says three-year-old Kaitlyn. “What do you want, sweetie?” The toddler sits down, crosses her little arms and says, “I want to go outside and play.” “And you can do that. After we go out for a little.” The Southern California regional Little Miss Darling pageant is in a matter of hours. Victoria, a former beauty queen herself, was delighted to have a daughter. Thinking back fondly to her own experience in the pageant circuit, Victoria was initially optimistic her daughter would enjoy the same friendship and confidence boosting qualities she had experienced. Unfortunately, Kaitlyn seems to have been born without a single ‘girly’ gene in her body. She hates wearing dresses, would rather be outside in the dirt than playing with makeup and the closest Victoria can get to having her daughter get excited about dancing or music is the Jesse cowgirl outfit from Toy Story 2. She doesn’t like the tiaras or the sashes or the glitter. When all is said and done, she would rather play with blocks and chase the other girls around the hotel lobby. The truly incredible thing is that when finally prompted, Kaitlyn has an amazing voice. It is this quality which has gotten them past the district competition to the regionals. Kaitlyn’s father, Victoria’s husband, Hugh, has approximately zero interest in these endeavors. Still a bit unsure how to handle having a daughter, he assumes this is a type of traditional mother and daughter bonding. However, he is secretly excited at the prospect of coaching a soccer team for Kaitlyn when she’s old enough, and delights in her tomboyish tendencies.
