The Princess and The Queen

Every time I see those mothers on television primping their little girls up for beauty pageants I am amazed at the lengths they go through.  The Jon Benet Ramsey case comes to mind.  We have all seen the little girls with wigs, false teeth, and spray tans in these contests and I always believed that children should look like children without having to look like little adults. 

But back in 1975, we lived in Union City and they had advertised they were conducting a beauty pageant for little 6-7 year old girls. This did not interest me in the least, nor did it interest my daughter, or so I thought.

Our friends, Al and Delia, who lived next door to my parents, had a daughter a year older than mine and another daughter a little younger than my son. Our four kids played together. My daughter found out that her little friend, Sonja, wanted to enter the beauty contest and my daughter said that she did too. I was amazed. I said okay, not thinking that she would ever go through with it.  I was not the stage mom pushing my daughter at all.  I actually preferred she not compete.  I thought she was a rather shy little girl and I had no idea she would want to be center of attention and pose in front of an audience.

We are so different, Rena and I.  I somehow along the way became the flamboyant woman I am to day, and in my mind, a Diva. (You are what you believe you are and you see what you want to see. There is an inner Diva in all of us women and it just takes longer for some women to find theirs.) I always loved the over the top jewelry, the rhinestone and sequined clothing, the fancy gowns, the sexy clothing, the bright colors, shopping, and shoes, shoes, shoes.  Rena became a woman who is understated.  I like sparkly, she likes plain.  I am pretty loud and she is pretty quiet.  I guess it skips a generation because her little Angelina at seven years old is a diva-in-training and not at all like her Mama and the girl loves to shop!!!

I taught Rena to read when she was 2½ years old, so in kindergarten, she read first and second grade books to the class, so I knew she could be in front of a classroom of her peers but had no idea she would be comfortable and not nervous in front of a crowd of adults all looking at her. 

I was married to my ex-husband at the time and we were building a house in Lake Tahoe that we intended to move into by late summer of 1975, so timing for this was not good, but I let her go through with it anyway.  I didn’t want to disappoint my daughter.

Both girls entered the contest along with about six or seven other girls.  I figured my daughter would drop out eventually so I was not concerned.  There was no cost to enter that I can remember.  It was a dual beauty pageant.  One contest was for older girls to be queen and one for younger girls for princess.  Assemblyman and soon to be Senator Nicholas Petris was one of the several judges.

My daughter surprised me.  She continued on and it became apparent that I had to get busy because she needed outfits for the pageant and I had absolutely no money for frivolous or extra things. The outfits were nothing elaborate like they have today.  I used to sew in those days so I knew I could make what she needed.  She needed three outfits to compete: a long gown, street clothes, and a bathing suit. I made the first two and only had to purchase a new bathing suit.

I remember asking Rena some “what ifs” as questions the panel might ask of the contestants.  I asked her what she would say if they asked her what she would do with a million dollars.  She said, “Mom, they are not going to ask me that.”  She was not interested in any “what ifs” so I dropped it. 

The night of the pageant, what do you think they asked the girls?  You guessed it.  “If you had a million dollars what would you do with it?”  Rena answered, “I would take my family to Great America” which got a laugh from the audience. I remember hearing someone shout out “It would probably cost that much too.”

I was not prepared for this at all.  I just had no idea that my daughter even had a chance to win that I didn’t even bring a camera with me.  I guess I did not have faith in my child. Does that make me a bad mother?  I always thought Rena was a pretty child, but all mothers think their kids are special.

When you are least prepared, things happen.  The judges announced that Rena Marie Petri was the new Miss Union City Princess.  I cried tears of joy of course.  She won a $50 gift certificate, a collection of Sarah Coventry jewelry, a tiara, and the honor of being Miss Union City Princess for a year.  

She had to appear at the County Fair in Pleasanton with the Mayor of Union City, at the opening of the new Fire Station, and at several other appearances in town.  She surprised me how at ease she was.  I was such a bashful kid afraid of my own shadow so I was pretty proud of her that she was not at all like me. I raised an independent child which is what I wished I was. With my strict Italian Dad, that was impossible.  

When we moved away, they did not replace Rena for appearances; they just eliminated them all together. 

It was a fun experience and I, from that day forward to today, always tell Rena that she may be Princess, but I will always be the Queen!!