Girl Scout update

Monday night was the monthly Girl Scout neighborhood leader meeting.
The council sent two people to talk to us. One did all the talking, the other one stood next to her.

You've heard the expression 'don't shoot the messenger'?

Well, the messenger GS council sent to us was a pregnant-about-to-pop person. Now who the hell is going to upset her? People asked questions, and she talked. Notice I did not say she answered questions. She talked. She said the same things over and over in answer to every question she was asked. It reminded me of a presidential debate. Notice how they never actually answer questions?

She painted a glowing picture of how wonderful everything will be, since this new plan has already been tested in Chicago and THEY like it.

She said that we will still have neighborhood leader meetings although we won't be calling it an neighborhood anymore, but couldn't tell us why making our geographical area huge and inaccesible to many is a way of using resources wisely. (Part of the Girl Scout Law). She wasn't able to explain how the merger would work exactly, just that we get to work that out ourselves, as if it's a gift. As if we get to do what works for us!

My prediction is that many leaders will say the meeting location, if we even find one that is large enough to hold all the leaders, is too far to drive. With gasoline over three bucks a gallon, it's not worth my time to drive a long distance, either. I say long distance if it's more than 5 miles.

Our messenger explained the half-plan to us. GS council made half the plan (you're going to combine neighborhoods, you're going to do it now, and you're not going to protest) and now it's up to US to implement the other half. In other words (and she actually said this...) this is the opportunity for the volunteers to have input into the process!!!

Then, after telling us that she encouraged us to voice our concerns, and saying that it won't really matter because the decisions have been made, she invited us to the next Strategy Cafe. Held at 5:30 pm yesterday in one of the busiest areas of town. Freeway traffic at 5:30 on a weekday. Yeah. Sure. I bet lots of leaders showed up for that. NOT!!

We were invited to apply for a service team position in the new VISTA. If interested, applications must be reserved at the Girl Scout office by June 1st.

Guess who's not applying?

So. I'm over it.
What it means to me personally is this. I have been on the neighborhood service team for eight years. I won't have to find a way to step down. I've been fired. Yay.
I won't count on council for support of any kind, since I've seen how they operate.

I'll keep hanging out with my girls. You've never seen such a great bunch of kids. They're funny, creative, beautiful, caring, smart and have formed some great friendships in the troop. The parents are all of the above and more. They're fun to hang out with, and the upcoming weekend vacation we're getting ready to take will be fun for me. It's been said that it's not polite to make comparisons, but I am unable to keep from doing so.

In my old troop, by third grade, the girls had become snotty, both to each other and to their parents. Some of the parents were quite snotty as well. I had little in common with most of them (see previous posts about my refusal to bash my husband, my inability to whine about school since I opted out, and the way some of those little girls treated MY little girl.) When we went on a weekend outing, I was definitely the odd person out. I didn't have my child overscheduled, was not competing with any moms for the smartest, most talented, _______ you fill in the blank. There is just a huge difference between being a homeschooling parent and a public school parent. It would take weeks to organize my thoughts on that one!


So I'm a Girl Scout leader for what I think are the right reasons. I'm independent and don't segregate my girls by age, and I really don't require much from council anyway. I'll give them the same thing they're giving me. Indifference.


I'll still make sure my kids don't wear Open Toad shoes. :)