I was a career Boy Scout. Got thrown out for trying to join too young, stayed with the program until I was eventually a full-time employee in my early 20's. While the press is bad and the national board are, well, PR nightmares, I stand (largely) by the program. On the personal level, the kids are awesome, the leaders mean well, and the program works. Seriously the best thing I've ever been involved with, with positive ramifications that will last throughout my life.
Of course, there's always things you wish could be better, and I fought the good fight from the inside when it came up.
Now, as an adult, I have 2 daughters. Which is awesome, cause there's a counterpart out there I'd never had any involvement with, the Girl Scouts!! I was pumped about Renchlette's first meeting, and was even talking to one of the mom's about being a co-leader. And we've been with them for most of the school year, and...
It sucks.
I mean, as something to do, it's fun, it's social, she's done 1 community-service-type outting this year, and sold a shit-load of cookies. But the meetings are like extended craft sessions. And not like cool crafts, like coloring. They get little activity patches just for showing up. the "uniform" is a blue vest, and the patches just get sewn on wherever you want. Think "flare" not "I earned this." And the meeting schedule is completely random. A few tuesdays a month, then nothing for six weeks, then 2 in a row, just weird. It seems to me to be utterly lacking in the structure that made Cub Scouts so great to me.
She's having fun, which is awesome, but I don't think she's really getting much out of it, other than fun, I'm all for fun, but she can mess around with her friends in the neighborhood after school (which she does), she doesn't need a random night of the week to go color pictures and have a snack time. But I'm kind of (read: deeply) a traditionalist. This is the counterpart of the central element of my first 24 years on this planet. It MUST be good damnit!
Enter http://bpsa-us.org/.
They're new-ish as near as I can tell (vs the 100+ year history of the BSA and GSUSA).
They're co-ed, they believe in camping, and they kinda toss the bloated infrastructure of the other two aside. The first requirements for a badge in the 5-8 year old program (requirements, for a badge, this already blows the doors off the Daisies) are to know and print your full name, know your phone number and address, your parents full names, and how to call 911.
![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)
![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)
![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)
![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)
So I'm kinda torn. I guess I could throw myself into the Girl Scouts, which I just don't understand and fundamentally still don't get after a year of hanging around, or possibly pull my kid out of a known organization to try something new which might be a total bust.
Opinions?
-Rench