My baby girl winning a title in 2006. I miss being a pageant mom.

My daughter was a pageant girl when she was younger.

From the ages of 11 to 16, she competed in several local and state pageants, as well as one national competition (she was Miss Indiana Junior National Teenager 2004).

It was great fun while she was involved. Pageants get a black eye quite a lot, but for Dani they were really a positive experience. She met a lot of people she wouldn't have otherwise, and she really learned how to present herself. She is a great public speaker and had tremendous self-esteem, and I think her years in pageantry had a lot to do with that.

Anyway, even though I'm not a pageant mom anymore (Dani gave up pageants in favor of concentrating more on academic pursuits), watching pageants on television is still a guilty pleasure of mine. Most recently, I watched the Miss USA pageant on April 19.

I love the beautiful dresses and the glamour, but my favorite part is listening to the contestants answer onstage questions. Dani's greatest strength was her ability to think on her feet, and I was always prouder of her for being able to speak eloquently than I was for her physical beauty.

I admit I'm a huge pageant nerd. When I know one is going to air on television, I will look at contestant photos and bios online and pick my Top 15 ahead of time.

This year's Miss Indiana USA, Courtni Hall, was from Crawfordsville. I really wanted her to make the Top 15 cut, and I honestly thought she would. I was disappointed when she didn't. She must have been really close.

I did predict seven of the Top 15. From there, I correctly guessed five of the Top 10. I guessed four of the Top 5.

The only placing of the Top 5 I predicted correctly was the winner, Miss North Carolina.

Watching pageants on TV makes me wistful. I really miss being a pageant mom. Dani and I had a great time when she was competing. I don't miss the sick feeling when she didn't win, but I miss a lot of the other things about it.

The first time Dani won a title, I ran backstage afterwards. She was 12 years old, and she took a running jump into my arms. She was a pageant queen, but she was still my little girl. It was a special moment.

People can say what they want to about pageants, but I'm a diehard fan.

Thing is, when I watch any pageant, whether it be live or on television, I feel a real kinship with the moms in the audience.