Should My Daughter Be A Model?

This conversation happened the other day:
N: "Mom, do you think I should be a model?"
Mom: "Why do you ask?"
N: "Because a lot of people tells me that."
"They tell me I look like a model or I should be a model"
Mom: "Hmmm ... I don't know... Do you want to?"
N: "Hmmm... kindda..."

Which leads us to one of our favorite "when they were small" story. It's the story of when N ALMOST became a model :)

She was in pre-school at that time. I was still working full-time then. One day I got a call from Hubby saying that there's an "audition" for models at MB Hotel and that maybe I should take the kids. It's only for that day.

You see, the modeling agency that was doing the screening is a reputable one. In fact it's the same agency that hired some of our friends' kids back when they were small boys and those boys earned a substantial amount of wage modeling for a Kids' Clothing Magazine. Since we know that it's legitimate because of the positive experience of our friends, we I decided to go ahead and take them.

And so I took off early from work and I picked up the kids from pre-school. Now, this is around Christmas time, and when I picked up my daughter she happily ran to me and announced that they practiced the song "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer!" And guess what? She has a red nose! I thought, oh we can easily erase that. Wrong! It was a marker that's not washable so it would take sometime for it to wash off. Yikes!

I almost canceled the trip to the audition, but I thought - "what the heck, this might be her lucky nose!".

Driving to the hotel, I stopped by McDonalds to feed the kids. I bribed them with Happy Meal in exchange for the smiles they have to do when it's their time for the photo shoot.

We arrived at the hotel and there were hundred of kids there already! Funny, I saw one of the kids from N's pre-school there too. And we saw some other friends. We were all there hopeful that our beautiful kids will be chosen to be models :)

After a very long wait, my kids' turn came. I explained to the photographer about the red nose. My son was a little shy but N was all smiles when they took the photo.

The next day, we got a call. My daughter was offered the job to be a model for a reputable surf clothes for kids :)

The problem was I have to go to work and can't chaperon my daughter on the scheduled time she's supposed to show up on the shooting. My dear hubby volunteered to take her.

We explained to N that she was chosen to be a model and boy was she so excited! You see, she's the kind of little girl who changes clothes every hour and love to dress up. She also love pretending to put make-up on and model. Oh what a glorious day it would be that she finally will be a real model!

Day of and time of the shooting I got a phone call at work.

Hubby: Honey, please talk to your child because she does not want her photo taken.

Me: WHAT??????
Me (on the phone with N): Sweetie, can you just let that guy take a picture of you?
Remember, you like to be a model?
N: "No..."
Me: "Please?..."
N: "No..."

And so my friends, that was the end of her modeling career then. We profusely asked forgiveness for the trouble we've caused the crew and I had to pray for a lot of patience for hubby and I not to yell at our daughter :)

Well, we didn't yell at her because I found out that it was partly my hubby's fault. At first N was so excited especially when they started putting make-up on her. Then, since she's busy being made up, hubby went out of the store they were prepping her to get something out of the car (or something like that). The little girl panicked when she realized daddy wasn't in the store. She cried, and after that, the meltdown happened. Had hubby stayed, maybe the photo shoot would have been fine. But let's not blame da hubby. Let's just say it happens and it would be a fun story to tell on N's wedding or something someday.

But here's "the thing". A couple of days after that experience, a lady stopped by our house to deliver the talent fee of N. We're like "No, please.. we are so sorry for the inconvenience we caused you. She does not need to be paid". But the lady insisted. She said she wanted to pay us for the time hubby spent bringing her to the store where the shooting should have taken place. She was paid a hundred bucks! yes, $100!

So now that she's older and won't so the tantrum anymore (hopefully), maybe it's time to look at this modeling thing again. As long as it would be a reputable company like maybe Lands End, Gap or Roxy :)

And why am I telling you this story now? Some of you might already have guessed - on my right sidebar is an ad for the "THE CUTE KID" photo contest. If you click on it you'd be able to read the details. I am thinking of submitting N's photo in there. I checked out the site and it's legitimate. Maybe, N can be chosen again and we can raise her college fund through various modeling stints (Oh yes, she's going to college - it's a requirement in our family).

Back to the recent conversation:
N : "Mom. do you think I'd be like Britney Spears when I grow up?"
Me: "Absolutely not!"