The Girl Scouts mission statement is: “Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.” I love the idea of the organization. I remember wanting to be a Girl Scout when I was growing up. I made it to Brownies before ditching it for soccer in sixth grade. So when my girl hit Kindergarten, I excitedly signed her up to be a Daisy Scout with high hopes of a bright green sash full of fun badges. I didn’t even mind the idea of selling Thin Mints.
Last week I got a notice about our troops (Scouts, Brownies, Daisys) having an overnight. I was ready to go. Grab the sleeping bags! Learn to pitch a tent! Make S’Mores!
Although I’m not the camping type, I was excited about the Girl Scouts adventure. I opened the email, readying for a fun mom/kid trip. There are not words to describe my great disappointment when I opened the Northern California Girl Scouts’ email. The overnight, as it turned out, was a night at the mall. That’s right, a sleepover at Westfield Shopping Center.
Reading on, my jaw dropped further as the email touted middle-of-the-night dance parties, runway fashion shows, Girl Scout models, “lots of glam” and a Bling! photo contest. What was I missing? Where was the character building and courage they’d promised? Courage to what? Catwalk?
The sleepover was held this past weekend. We spend the day hiking on our local trails and telling stories about where we’ve traveled and where we’d like to travel. We had a block party that day too, a pumpkin pie eating contest, kids doing sidewalk chalk in the street and racing their Razors up and down the block. It was a family day to remember. So maybe my expectations of Girl Scouts needs to change. Maybe the Scouts are just posing as a character-building organization while secretly making bank off of underage cookie pushers. Maybe they just forgot the Scout in the Girl.
I didn’t pluck this fantasy ideal of Girl Scouts out of thin air. I have friends who are in Indian Princesses that just returned from an overnight filled with midnight flashlight tag and team rock climbing. Other friends participate in theYMCA’s Adventure Guides where outdoor activities focus on parent child relationships where you are encouraged to “get to know your kid while your kid is still a kid.” I had an expectation that the Girl Scouts would be a wholesome growing experience for my kid. Instead they want to teach her to shop-’til’-you-drop.
I brought up my concerns to a long-standing Girl Scout mom, who laughed and told me to “Get modern!” She told me the girls that attend the mall overnight have a lot of fun. Now, maybe it is fun (a grownup version with wine instead of juice boxes?), but it’s not the point of Girl Scouts to me. This isn’t the message I want to give to my daughter. If you want to have a slumber party at the mall, I’m all for it. Just don’t call it character-building. Don’t tell me you are helping my child make the world a better place. In fact, don’t tell my child anything. We’re done with you.
The post No GirlScouts for Us appeared first on Garza Girls.