Call me Mom

A long time ago, I had a Girl Scout troop.

Since our troop was all homeschooled, we had a great deal of parental involvement.

I appreciated those parents so much. They were there for the meetings. They helped me clean stuff up, haul things in and out, showed up to the overnight events and generally just supported their girls and the troop.

I went to the monthly leader's meetings, where we discussed all kinds of things. Shared ideas and crafts and worked together to create events to take our girls to. The women (and the occasional man) leading the troops were nice people, but they just didn't get the whole homeschool thing.

I sat through so many meetings with a common theme... I want the troop parents to be a part of this but no one will step up/why do parents have to stick their noses in everything?

Schizo.

They didn't understand so many things about our troop. As I said, I had parents at every meeting and at every troop event. Many neighborhood events as well. The rest of the leaders were simultaneously envious and completely weirded out by the family involvement.

Whatever. I didn't need their approval then or now. And seriously, they were super nice people. They just had a limited understanding about some things.

They were really bothered by the idea of a multi level troop, too. Very hung up on grade levels and dividing girls.

We attended a neighborhood campout designed/planned by some VERY school-oriented people. There were two elementary teachers and an education/math major on the planning committee.

Within the first 15 minutes of arrival, Lyssa called me Mom. And was informed by one of the other leaders that, "There are no moms at campout, only leaders. You need to call your mom by her first name."

I smiled at her and said, "I find it disrespectful for my daughter to call me by my first name. I'm a leader precisely because I'm a mom."

I gathered all my kids together and told them all to call me mom for the weekend. Fixed that. :)

We were asked to research and make 4 posters about some famous women from history. We didn't get to choose which ones, they were assigned.

We were to put a little card on the bottom of the poster with our troop number and the grade level of the girls.

Not sure what that would have to do with anything, but since we didn't do grade levels, Chrissy* was quite vexed with me.

"It doesn't match the others!" she lamented. "They all have to hang in the dining hall."

And when we stood up to introduce our posters, our whole troop went up with each one, standing united. We all created them, we all were part of it.

My group was the cause of many eyerolls that weekend, which I pretended not to notice.

Chrissy also had the really nice, gentle idea of a public shaming for anyone stupid enough to leave a glove or sock or hat or jacket anywhere. The problem was that no one knew it at the first group gathering when she held up a glove and asked that the owner come to retrieve it.

When the owner walked up in front of the whole group, Chrissy demanded that the child sing a song to get it back.

The little girl burst into bewildered tears of shame and embarrassment. Nice.

So I passed the word to my girls that if they saw anything of theirs up there, "Do not say anything. Tell me and I will get it for you after the meeting."

The rest of the weekend, most of them called me mom. Some of the girls from other troops started calling me mom, too. Out of the 200 or so kids in attendance, I think half of them were referring to me as mom by the end of the weekend.
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When I started my job, I was given a choice about what to be called, and chose to have the kids call me by my first name. Sunshine was on a first name basis with the kids, and I saw no reason not to follow suit.

Occasionally I get called Mom or Mrs. ___________ <<(insert child's teacher name here)

The kids seem a little embarrassed, but I just smile. And tell them the story of how about a hundred kids called me mom for an entire weekend once.

Eric always says I should just get a t shirt that says 'Everyone's Mom' on it.
I was considering "Middleage Mutant Ninja Mom" but I'm too lazy to research and find out where to get one printed. Maybe sometime.
Meanwhile, you can call me Mom if you want. I've answered to worse.