Scouting vs. Scouting (help me come to terms?)
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Anonymous
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I am female. I had a terrible experience with Girl Scouts as a child because my troop was populated by the girls who bullied me at school for years. (My troop also never did any real activities, and the only badge I ever earned was Child Care!) In the meantime, my Eagle Scout father was busy leading my brothers' Boy Scouting experiences, which were so different from my own that it might as well have been another planet. I didn't resent them at all (it all seemed very active and muddy!), but I was really proud of them for what they did.
Fast forward to now, and my whole family is currently deeply involved in Scouts BSA - but DD now wants to drop Cub Scouting and join her friends' Girl Scout troop instead. I absolutely want DD to become her own person and am trying to put aside my own bad memories - and my personal interest in and commitment to the Scouts BSA program. This isn't DD's problem, it's mine. And I want to deal with it myself, on adult terms, without her getting any of the baggage. So talk me into Girl Scouting, people. But without ripping Scouts BSA, please, because DS is happy there, and so was I. |
Anonymous
| Why not just sign her up, let her try it, and take a step back? This isn't about you. |
Anonymous
| Can we trade? I’m trying to switch my brownie to Scouts. They do way more fun things. |
Anonymous
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Brother-in-law was a Scoutmaster for a Catholic church affiliated Boy Scouts of America group. Although all of his sons are very well mannered and highly intelligent, the results were not good (all became Eagle Scouts) due to too much close supervision by one parent.
Not sure if this relates to your current situation however. |
Anonymous
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I’m sorry for your terrible experience! But I know many women who are passionate about how Girl Scouts enriched their lives. Exactly like BSA, it is highly dependent on your local troop. If your daughter has a friend enjoying Girl Scouts, it sounds like it’s a decent trip.
It also sounds like some of the BSA halo is because of your father’s involvement. It’s wonderful that your daughter has a mom who will support her in doing her own thing. |
Anonymous
| The Girl Scout experience varies dramatically by troop. So your experience may be completely different that your DD's. I had an amazing experience in Girl Scouts and stayed in through high school. My DD is part of a great troop with awesome leaders and they do some very cool things that make me jealous. If all her friends are in Girl Scouts I would go with that. Having friends in your troop is really important. You can also do both for a year and see how it goes. |
Anonymous
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If your daughter’s friends are already in the troop, just ask their parents how the experience has been.
My daughter has been a Girl Scout for a few years now, and they do tons of badges, two camping trips a year, plus other activities like hiking and social get-togethers. |
Anonymous
Be sure not to let HER try something she wants to try in HER life because of YOUR experience 40 years ago. 
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Anonymous
OP here. That's exactly why I _don't_ want to interfere and I _do_ want to get her into Girl Scouting. I just want to learn what it is supposed to be like so I can be supportive and maybe even enthusiastic! |
Anonymous
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It does very, because it is volunteer led. Ask her what activities she wants to do as a Girl Scout, and then tell your service unit leader what she says, so you can be matched with a troop that is a good fit. If she wants to be with her friends in a certain troop, then go ahead with that one. If you want her to have certain opportunities there, plan to help facilitate them.
As girls get older, there are many more leadership opportunities open to them, and travel options that you will find on the GSCNC website under Teens. I have been a Girl Scout all my life. It is very empowering for girls and young women. Girl Scout summer camps are awesome. I’m sorry you had a bad experience. There is a lot of emphasis in GS programming now on anti-bullying and developing resilience, so it will not be the same. |
Anonymous
This. I totally understand where you’re coming from, OP, but perhaps your daughter could have a good experience that can reset your perception. I never did GS myself, but my daughter did for several years and it was totally fine. Good leaders who encouraged inclusiveness, and nice girls who all got along. My kid only quit because she wanted to focus on other activities. Good for you for trying not to let your own bad experience get in your kid’s way. |
Anonymous
I am a woman who dropped Girl Scouts because it was boring and there was not enough outdoor activities. I would have strongly preferred Cub Scouts and a Scout Troop. DS is in BSA and I think it is an amazing program. But, like all things, it really depends on the adults who are willing to put the time and energy into the program. BSA has a strong advantage over Girl Scouts in that Packs/Troops continue on year after year. You can find more adults willing to take the hours long training needed for camping and backpacking and other activities because the Pack/Troop is larger. If only 20% of the Pack/Troop is volunteering you have a large enough pool of parents to handle the requirements for all sorts of activities. Girl Scout Troops are smaller, the size of a BSA Den/Patrol, and transitory so it is harder to find parents who will go through the training that is needed. I have friends who have moved from other parts of the country who left BSA because the Packs/Troops in their areas were dominated by more religiously driven folks or stereotypical Southern Conservatives and they found the Pack/Troops too traditional or conservative. I am sure that there are folks who would never join my kids Troop because we are too Liberal. The individual Packs/Troops end up reflecting the values/ideals of the adult leaders. Girl Scouts is probably the same way. |
Anonymous
| It really depends on the troop leaders - my older daughter went camping three times last year and meets twice a week, while my younger daughter has only done arts and crafts and a couple small field trips and meets once a month. |
Anonymous
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I wish you luck, OP
I very much wanted my DD to try Girl Scouts, but every troop at her elementary school was controlled by a clique of moms whose kids were 1/2 queen bees in waiting and the other half were the kids who followed them around. The school was too small to start another troop. There weren't any other kids who were interested. My kid got into other time intensive interests, so I dropped it. But I can see how Girls Scouts could be great. |
Anonymous
I think your best bet is contact the leaders of the group your daughter wants to join and ask about what activities they want to do/badges they're working on. Since these groups are run by volunteers it's hard for Dcum to generalize it for you |