I don’t typically write back-to-back posts about “national days” and similar occasions, although it is interesting to note that International Women’s Day (March 8) and National Girl Scout Day (March 12) are in close proximity. The purpose of the Girl Scouting is to help build girls’ courage, confidence, and character, to make them into people who make the world a better place. This seems to fit with International Women’s Day, so it feels appropriate to follow up last week’s post with a post about Girl Scouts.
My sister in her Girl Scout uniform, circa September 1973
My daughter was in Girl Scouts from kindergarten (Daisy Scouts) through eighth grade (Cadettes). My mother was a Camp Fire Girl, and I was a Bluebird in Camp Fire Girls in the third grade, but just for that one year. My sister was a Girl Scout for a couple of years, but I wasn’t living at home by that time. Therefore, my daughter’s association with Girl Scouts was my first involvement with their programs.
In the Boy Scout organization, my brother was an Eagle Scout, as was my husband. And our son was active in Boy Scouts, with my husband serving as one of the troop leaders. So despite my lack of familiarity with Girl Scouts, it seemed natural to sign our daughter up when the opportunity presented itself at her school.
But I have to say, the Girl Scouts were much more loosely organized than the Boy Scouts. A group of mothers, including me, rotated the Daisy Scout leader roles. I think the same might have been true when she was a Brownie and Junior Scout, though I don’t remember how involved I was at those levels.
I do remember “camping out” one weekend on a field trip to the Cosmosphere Space Museum in Hutchinson, Kansas. We slept under the wing of a huge SR-71 Blackbird, but what I remember most is lots of giggling girls and a hard cement floor under the thin carpet we slept on.
By the time my daughter reached the Cadettes level in middle school, there were only three girls who participated regularly. The three mothers agreed we would share leader duties, as we had when the girls were Daisy Scouts. By this age, the girls were not really into scouting. They didn’t want to go camping, and they didn’t want to talk to other people beyond our small group. Many of the Cadettes activities involved getting out into the community to explore various topics. We mothers tried to keep our girls interested in earning badges and advancing to earn the Silver Award (the second highest award the Girl Scouts offers) without going too far outside their comfort zone.
One activity to complete a badge on careers involved filling out a job application. The idea was to let the girls know what employers wanted in the way of qualifications to get hired. I was working in Human Resources at Hallmark Cards at the time, so I brought several copies of the Hallmark job application to our meeting for the girls to fill out.
The girls started filling out the application, asking about educational requirements and skill sets and other blanks on the form.
As she filled out her application, my daughter asked me, “What’s that Irv fellow’s title?”
“You mean Irv Hockaday?” Irvine O. Hockaday, Jr., was the CEO of Hallmark at the time.
“Yes.”
“He’s CEO — Chief Executive Officer. He runs the company.”
She nodded. “That’s the job I want.” And she wrote “CEO” in the blank for “Job Desired.”
Her ambition said a lot about my daughter as an individual, but I think it also says something about the Girl Scouts as an organization. They teach girls to aim high. My daughter definitely showed “courage, confidence, and character” as she completed her job application that day. Now, about twenty years later, she isn’t a CEO yet, but she’s doing quite well in her career.
What is your experience with Girl Scouts?
As a member of the then Mid-Continent Council of Girl Scouts I was always impressed that all decisions were based on “What is best for the girls?” A great organization doing great work.
Steve, I agree! Theresa
Your experience is totally different, with involved mothers and all kinds of out-of-school activities. We were pioneers http://www.muzeulcotroceni.ro/old/expo_trecut/2011/pionieri04.jpg
But this was entirely school organised and school based. One received the red tie in second grade, if good at studies. If one of the last students in the class, they might receive it as late as fourth grade, and it was a shame. One day a week we came to school dressed in pioneers. (Otherwise, this was the school uniform for grades 1-4 http://maramedia.ro/images/news/uniforma-scolara-0.jpg and this for 5-8 http://a1.ro/uploads/modules/news/0/2017/6/19/668852/149786206216182021.jpg. but we wore the red pioneer tie on it too, which isn’t shown in these photos). The parents’ involvement was only to buy some books as presents for when we got the red tie, and to buy our pioneer uniform. Usually one parent came with us in the trip when we received our red tie, as it happened usually at a monument, in a historical place.
Afterwards, everything we did with the Pioneers organisation – meetings, activities – were not up to the parents to interfere. School only. We had competitions between classes in recycling newspapers and bottles and jars (this was in the time before plastic bottles. Youghurt, milk, oil, all came in glass bottles), trips outside the city to collect medicinal plants, contests between classes and between schools in good grades in general and in specific subjects…
Now I hear that scouts exist here too, making trips and learning to be mountain guides. But here again the parents are involved only to subscribe the child to the organization, not in the actual events.
Marina,
It’s interesting to learn about others’ experiences. Thanks for your comment.
Theresa