I was very happy when my daughter told me that she wanted to join the Girl Scouts. The thought of sweet little girls sitting around a camp fire singing songs, doing crafts and giggling softly ran through my head. I was excited for both of us because as a child I also wanted to be a Brownie. As a matter of fact , I still have the wooden Christmas Tree napkin holder that I made at my one and only meeting. All of my hopes and dreams of being a Girl Scout were quickly fizzled by my 2 older sisters who taunted me with how "uncool" it was. Yes, they are 4 and 5 years my senior and EVERYTHING that they said, I believed.
Looking forward to my daughter's first year, I contacted the woman in charge of our local troops. I quickly learned that this Brownie group was led by a co op of mothers, so I would have my Brownie experience with my daughter! Brownies is held immediately after school in a classroom. I went to the first meeting to observe. Wow! These nine little girls were screaming, jumping on desks, climbing under desks, climbing the walls(okay the a/c units attached to the walls) but really out of control. There were 2 women leading and several older girls assisting. Yes, they did calm down, a little for the "project of the day" but overall it was OUT OF CONTROL!!!!
Now, don't get me wrong, my daughter can be pretty wild at home but in every organized setting ,since day 1 she has been praised for her excellent, quiet behavior(which she does not get from her mother). Now I see why, if these are her peers. I try not to judge , but there was one girl that everyone was feeding off of who was extra "energetic". I thought to myself, boy she needs some discipline. We all know that we should never judge and I soon relearned this lesson.
After a long discussion with my daughter about how the other girls behavior was unacceptable and that it should not be allowed to happen, she agreed. Well, who do you think was scaling the top of the desks when I came to pick up at the last meeting! Yes, my sweet baby! Of course, I immediately called her down and explained to her that she would no longer be a Brownie if she wanted to act like that.
Let me ask you, fellow bloggers, am I being too harsh or does someone need to get control of these 6 and 7 year old girls. I know this is supposed to be fun, but someone is going to get hurt and certainly badges may not get earned. LOL. Besides the fact, how am I going to lead these crazy kids:) HELP!
7 comments:
I totally agree! I am more old school than most. I do not think that kids should run around restaurants, stores, etc. And if you TEACH them not to from a young age, they won't (most of the time! lol, we all have our moments)One of my close friends lets her kids run all over the place and it's soooo embarassing. I think that many people let their kids run all over them, good for you that you have expectations. Here's a pat on the back from me!!
Oh, and I forgot to add, I was a Brownie too! I wasn't that into it, though. My troop leader was a stick in the mud and I was a tomboy anyway. But there were some fun times, not to mention the great cookies!!
As you know, Meg was a Brownie and her leaders had total control over the group!
They need to crack down on those little punks (I mean girls!)
Seriously, someone is going to get hurt.
I think Indian Princess's was better let the Dad's take over
ohmygosh, I used to be a server at Applebees, and people would let their kids run WILD. I mean, crawling under tables and playing tag. I used to take the kids by the arm, and give them a stern "You need to go sit down right now." of course, I only did that when the parents werent sitting at my tables. LOL sometimes, the shock of getting a talking to from a grown-up stranger will get kids settled down. keep in mind that I have no kids of my own, though. I do know that when I was a wee one, I would never have behaved like that. my sister and I were very well-behaved. although my mom never actually TOLD me this, I always thought that any adult would spank me if I so much as sassed them.
yeah, we got spanked as kids. I only remember about three times, though. firm swats on the behind & I learned quickly. of course, by the time I was school-aged, I didnt get swatted. I just behaved by then.
I don't have personal experience from the mom side yet, but it's a hot topic with my girlfriends. At least they set up a co-op. I know my friends have a hard time getting any help with their troops.
Good luck! I say the next session is on manners!
Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting. Come back!
I was a daisy/brownie leader for my daughter's group and it was draining but I did keep the girls BUSY hence they were always too preoccupied with getting the work done within the time alloted. Sometimes we would go for an 'alphabet scavenger hunt' and go walking for the whole hour- they were able to unwind, and learn something in the process :) there are tons of sites with tons of activities for the girls...you just gotta keep them busy otherwise they go wild.
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