Girl Scouts ?
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well, we've discussed cubscouts, how about Girl Scouts ?
Anyone out there involved ? Leaders ?
I'm my daughter's leader this year, she's in second grade (Brownie) and while I find it very rewarding and fun, I am frustrated at feeling like I'm always having to reinvent the wheel, so to speak.
I think that the boyscouts are run much more smoothly, with more info from above and more guidance on what to do with the boys. Now, maybe that's just a geographical thing, and the boyscouts around here are just better organized, I don't know. Don't get me wrong, the other moms are really nice people, very helpful, etc .... but I mean, we have to create our own flyers, for events that happen every single year. I had to print off about 10pgs of forms (now that I think about it, maybe even more) PER GIRL just for them to be able to register .... I'm thinking there HAS got to be a better way.
Has anyone else had this experience ? I LOVE being the leader and having an impact on these girls. I LOVE being involved with my daughter so that she knows how important she is. I LOVE carrying on the tradition (I was a Girl Scout myself) .... so it's definitely worth it, it just takes SO much time to research and create and prepare, and that's BEFORE the time with the girls !
Does anyone have any advice for me ?
thanks !
I can NOT believe with all of you supportive moms out there, not a single one of you is involved in girlscouts ... come on, give a newbie some advice/help/suggestions .... I have 11 little girls who are couting on me to make this a positive experience .... so far I'm making it .... but only by the skin of my teeth.
???
Hi Harlena,
Its Linda. I hesitated to weigh in on this topic because I am a mother of boys not girls but I was a girlscout during some very formative periods of my life.
I want to celebrate one of my favorite girl scout leaders Mrs. Mineo. She made all the difference because she was willing to show up and she shared her daily life with us. She was a working mom with a disabled husband and three children. She had a very challenging life but she included us and taught us how to live the principles of scouting in real life. We also had lots of fun together. If you wnated to try it (e.g. badges, activities) she would encourage you to go for it.
A search that has lots of links that might help in the fun and activity area (brownie girl scout games etc.):
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS310&q=brownie+scouting+activities+and+games&btnG=Search
We loved songs, snacks, games, camporees with lots of other girls, ( and a loving no gossip, no unkindness, no mean spiritedness zone).
Maybe there are others that had fun experiences as girl scouts, juniors, cadets or brownies that could share what made it fun, memorable and special for them.
Don't give up - your presence matters.
Well, I hate to say this, but you are right, boy scouts is run MUCH different than girl scouts.
I was a leader for 3 years and it is a lot of work. They make you do so many stupid things that it is actually silly.
My best advice would be to get good parent helpers that you can depend on, a great co leader and just go with the flow!! Even with all the work, it is a very rewarding experience for both you and the girls in your troop! It can be a lot of fun if you don't let the paperwork and politics of it get to you!!
I was a Brownie leader and moved up to Junior GS with them over 20 years ago. I was single, fresh out of college and wanted to do something
worthwhile. I found the experience rewarding like you and frustrating like you. Loved the girls and dealing with them. Had absolutely no support whatsoever from above. I had no idea what I was doing. I was so frustrated that I never even sold GS cookies. We sold a different product that we got to keep more of the profits for the troop. I asked before I did it. I was told that it would be frowned upon but there was no written rule forbidding me to do it. I was so aggravated b/c they wanted me to do so much without any help, then sell the dumb cookies and get to keep hardly anything for our efforts. Oh well...I told them to sue me. I did it for 3 years and had my fill of the lack of leadership from above. Our BS in this area has always been a very tightly run ship. Much different from my experience with GS. All 3 of my boys were in BS for 2 or 3 years. And it was so different.
thank you ladies SO much for weighing in ... at least I don't think it's all in my head, sounds like we have similiar experiences.
My asst is pretty much in name only, but I am very thankful for that, can't have a troop without two leaders ... and I get to run the show, that's cool ... I'm just SO very clueless and am always playing catch up. I'll find out about something accidentally (patch, activity, whatever) and then try to pull everything together. Can I scream now ?
But, we DO manage to have fun and fortunately for me none of my girls know any difference, this is everyone's first year, so the girls have nothing to compare it to ...
thank you for that link, I'll check it out, at this point I need all help, advice, suggestions, and links I can get !!!
I am a GS leader and have been for 9 years. Yes there is more paperwork than in cubs and boys. But there is also a lot more freedom with the girls. With my boys camping they always had to have a parent as cubs, then as boys once a year they have to turn in all their forms, much the same way.
GS is slowly learning to streamline their paperwork. Honestly I think they have come to the computer generation a little late and they haven't figured it out.
I love my girls, I love my troop. We don't play by all the rules. I cover myself with paperwork though, because you just never know.
We do sell cookies, I think we get 67cents a box, not horrible profit. We always do the fall sale, we do nuts here, we make plenty of money there.
Any specific questions...i can help...i gotta run now though!
Everything you've described is what happens here in the Brownie troops. Most of the moms I know in those troops survive by taking the high road - some rules sleight of hand, helping out as best as they can, not joining controversy, selling cookies. Some have started other groups like Pioneer Girls or new troops.
thanks again guys ...
I'm not bailing, we DO have fun, but it gets so fustrating on my end .... if I could be a Professional Brownie leader I'd have it down in a few years, but in two years we'll be Juniors and then I'll have to be doing NEW stuff ...
For example, I have to print out all of the forms the parents signed at the beginning of the year (I think it was like 11pgs per girl) and the same for cookies, there's a beautiful activity guide for the cookie activity pin, 8pgs of glorious color. I don't receive those guides, I have to print them out. Sure I could take the money for printing them out of troop funds, but we're new, we have no troop funds. Half the time the girls don't even pay their dues, and with dads getting laid off left and right, I don't feel right about forcing it. So I've been covering all of the expenses for our crafts and stuff.
I KNOW it's worth it, they have fun, but I think there has to be a better way than thousands of moms having to figure out the same exact thing THIS year that thousands of other moms figured out last year.
Hopefully this doesn't sound like one gigantic whine .... if so PLEASE forgive me !!!
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