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'Toddlers & Tiaras' mom: Pageants were the reason I wanted a daughter

At just 15-months-old, SamiJo doesn’t have much to say about how or why she began her pageant career, but the “Toddlers & Tiaras” tike’s mother does."I decided to put SamiJo in pageants ‘cause that was the whole reason I wanted to have a daughter," mom Tricia reveals on Wednesday night’s episode of the TLC docuseries.Once Tricia had her daughter, she knew just what she wanted to name�
By Ree Hines and Ree Hines

At just 15-months-old, SamiJo doesn’t have much to say about how or why she began her pageant career, but the “Toddlers & Tiaras” tike’s mother does.

"I decided to put SamiJo in pageants ‘cause that was the whole reason I wanted to have a daughter," mom Tricia reveals on Wednesday night’s episode of the TLC docuseries.

Once Tricia had her daughter, she knew just what she wanted to name the future sash-wearer.

“When I found out Sami was a girl, I wanted to name her America,” Tricia explains. Why? “I wanted her name to be Miss America.”

Thanks to SamiJo’s dad, that part of Tricia’s pageant-baby dream didn’t come true.

Tune in to “Toddlers & Tiaras” on January 12 at 10 p.m. ET to see SamiJo's debut, or watch this audition video of the child Tricia describes as “17-going-on-30 trapped in the body of a 15-month-old”:

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