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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]In GS lingo, younger sibs are called "Tagalongs" -- generally events specify whether Tagalongs are welcome or can be accommodated or not.  It's not generally appropriate for troop meetings, which are geared to a specific age and designed to help foster independence from the family unit.  I'd say something to the troop leader, who should probably just start saying something along the lines of "tagalongs welcome for the hay ride!"  or "sorry, but we can't accommodate tagalongs for the computer programming badge activity" or whatever.  There's a lot of activities where younger siblings really do disrupt the experience for the older girls, and as a troop leader trying to stretch a buck to keep costs down (which is a big push in GS), I'd be a little irritated at having to get supplies for additional kids -- if we are doing a particular badge activity like jewelry making or tie-dying or making journals, I may have only bought enough supplies for the troop members.  Sometimes we invited younger siblings for the last 15 minutes or something, if we were doing something that might be fun for them  like the Pet Badge or racing cars or something.

It's totally different from Cub Scouts, where an adult member is REQUIRED to stay for the meeting until they hit Boy Scouts in 6th grade.  [b]Apparently BSA does NOT want to foster independence from the family until 6th grade -- they really want the parents there to rein those boys in.   I've been pretty active in both GS and BSA[/b] for almost a decade now, so I'm pretty familiar with the differences in the programs.[/quote]

What a shame that after almost a decade of being active in boy scouts, you are still so ignorant.[/quote]

Lions and Tigers require a parent stay, because of the age of the kids and to help parents understand Cub Scouts. After that parents are not required to stay. There is a requirement for 2 trained, adult leaders to be with the Scouts at all times but parents don't have to be there. Some Dens ask parents to stay, especially if their kids are a handful or struggle to listen to the Den Leader. But Cub Scouts is run differently then Girl Scouts. I don't think that we have ever discussed independence as a goal for my kids Den or in the Pack. We focus more on the individual adventures and earning the belt loops. I believe in Girl Scouts the kids choose their Troops focus and what they want to work towards, that doesn't happen in Cub Scouts. It does happen more in the Arrow of the Light year and when the kids transition to a Troop.

I like that DS is exposed to many different activities through the planned adventures. There is an art one every year that is cool and that I doubt the kids would choose on their own. They have done something in geography every year, which is cool. I like the broad approach but I can see the value in the kids choosing what they want to do as well. I am have no problem with that happening when the kids are in 6th grade and not in first grade.

Both programs are great for the right kid. I am not going to bring a BSA mindset to Girl Scouts because they are different programs, with a different approach, and different goals and that is fine. I would not phrase it the way the PP phrased it but too each their own.

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