Reply to What do the Girl Scouts do?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Thank you. I asked about parent participation because we both WOTH and both kids are already involved in other activities. Neither of us have time to devote to this and I didn't want to sign up if it was like Boy Scouts, which is why I never did for my son. I think we will pass.  We are already involved with sports and are realistic about over extending our family commitments. [/quote]

To this poster and others similarly situated -- please don't sign your daughter up for Girl Scouts unless you're willing to pitch in and help cheerfully. A Girl Scout troop is a lot of work, even for once-a-month meetings, even for girls who are not out there selling cookies like it's their full-time job to raise money for a huge trip, even for girls who are not doing field trips and going camping frequently.

I am a Girl Scout troop leader. I work full-time and have more than one kid (not to mention other volunteer obligations). My My co-leader also works full-time and has more than one kid. We are both ready to step down as leaders in part because it is so much work and in part because a number of parents in the troop are unwilling to do any work to help the girls have a great experience, even with our laid-back, non-hard-core schedule. We have several girls whose parents treat the troop like it's a drop-off activity with no requirement for them for any participation whatsoever. I had no idea until I became a leader how much work it really is and how much bureaucracy there is behind the scenes -- getting First Aid certified, getting Camping certified for even the most basic car camping one-night camping trip, the financial accounting that goes into the treasurer job, monthly Service Unit meetings, and the cookie sales -- holy mackerel that is the most thankless task ever. I understand why there is so much bureaucracy but the Council does not make it easy for volunteers. It is completely unfair for any parent to expect other volunteer parents to do all the work to provide their daughters with a fun experience.

That said, helping out as a parent doesn't need to be a huge commitment or a full-time job. I have another daughter in a very well-run troop (and both leaders of that troop work). The families are all made up of two working parents as far as I can tell but the expectation is that *everyone* will pitch in by helping run meetings/earn badges as assigned, and by taking on the many jobs that are needed to help the troop run smoothly. With everyone doing something it is not onerous at all (although our leaders deserve major kudos for the work they do). If you can't commit to pitching in, then stick with paid activities where you are compensating someone to give your kids extracurriculars.[/quote]

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