Where has the past 100 years gone??

     Okay who was a Girl Scout raise your hand?? Girl Scouts are 100 years old~ shazam.  There are probably going to be a number of posts from great authors celebrating this achievement so I thought of course make this all about ME!! In the spirit of true disclosure and to ensure that I am completely in the correct frame of mind as I write this post I am eating my way through a row of Trefoil cookies.

     I was a Girl Scout for about 5 years.  I remember meeting at Brooke Avenue School for Juniors and Cadets.  My leaders (whose names I sadly cannot remember) had to be angels.  More often than not my mother would drop me off and say get a ride home ; those ladies always did despite how out of the way it was.  Our troops marched in parades for Veterans and Memorial Day.  We sold cookies, went camping and earned badges.  But what I mostly remember about those times was that being a Girl Scout was the great equalizer.  Unlike today where kids seem to be divided into dozens of social groups back then you were either cool or uncool.  I always fell into the uncool group.  However once a week for an hour or so I fit in.  The girls that barely acknowledged me during the week would sit by my side.  We'd work together on the current project talking and laughing the whole time.

   Summer meant Girl Scout Camp.  Oh how I loved those weeks.  First it was day camp and then overnight camp in the Bear Mountains!! Weeks spent in upstate New York meant sleeping in platform tents, whispering during the night, swimming hiking and growing up.  

     Of course we can't forget selling Girl Scout cookies!! This part is going to hurt... A box of Girl Scout cookies in 1975 cost $1 and your choices were Thin Mints, Do-Si-Do's, Trefoils as well as a sandwich creme and chocolate chip. 

     True still today is that sadly once we all hit that cool 12/13/14 age group Girl Scouts just isn't cool anymore. Our time gets taken by school sports and clubs. 

     In fact it you think about it the fact that Girl Scouts not only continue but thrive today is pretty amazing.  During the 1970’s there wasn't very much for girls to do, especially young Girls.  If your family was able to afford it you may have been involved in dance but there weren’t 6 different sports for you to choose from.  No one was taking their kid to Kumon so they could achieve their academic destiny.  Being involved in Girl Scouts really was just about your only option for socialization outside of the neighborhood kids, church and school.  

     My girls both did Scouting for a while, then transferred over to Missionettes (think Church version of Girl Scouts.  It did surprise me that unlike years ago the clicks transferred from school to the troops.  As with all things those in charge determine the "flavor" of the group.  My girls had very different experiences one was fortunate enough to be in troops that were focused on teaching and enriching the girls.  The other unfortunately it seemed was focused on how many badges we could get on their sashes. One major difference it seems all troops have today, at least that's what my friends and I have experienced, is the pressure to sell an immense amount of cookies so the troop can take a great trip at the end of the year.  This for us meant a trip to Orlando.

     All in all as member, parent and leader I have to say my time spent in the Girl Scouts were over-all pretty wonderful.  So congratulations to Juliette Low and the Girl Scouts of the USA on your 100th Birthday.

   Pass the Thin Mints please...

     

Using her Barbie Car and Little Tykes to deliver her GSCookies... She actually received "gas" money Very bummed can’t find pic of Em sitting amidst her tower of cookie boxes