tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441709438919444345.post-77153424665349766522008-07-08T13:20:00.000-05:002008-07-08T13:20:00.000-05:00I love Girl Scouts, too. My wife and I and a another mom are co-leaders of our Cadette level troop. I'm still a little worried about the direction Girl Scouts is taking. Sure, the camping and other activities aren't being discarded, but it's always said with an air of toleration instead of promotion. <BR/><BR/>From the article: "The Girl Scouts will continue its long-standing traditions of camping, hiking and community service, but it also is promoting programs that help build self-esteem and encourage healthy living choices". <BR/><BR/>This sentence encapsulates the worries of traditionalists like myself. We've always incorporated the self-esteem and healthy living choices into the camping, hiking and community service. You should see the satisfaction my girls have in being able to put up their gigantic tent while some parents are trying to figure out how to get their brand new tents put together. That's self-esteem. Meal planning for camp includes healthy living choices. And campfire talk is a great time to talk about other choices in life.<BR/><BR/>I do appreciate the attempt to promote the Girl Scouts more. And I'm open to the argument that the girls should be choosing their program. When the awards and advancement start requiring a different type of program, though, I start feeling like my traditional view of Girl Scouts is being denigrated and that they method I'm using to teach girls about their abilities and leadership isn't valued. <BR/><BR/>I will admit that girls don't like getting stuck in the arts and craft area. When I tell girls about our adventures they perk up with interest. Many of the drop-outs, not due to lack of parental support, are because the girls didn't like doing stuff they thought was boring. I'll spread the word about the new opportunities available, but I'm still going to promote the outdoors more.Joshua R. Godinezhttp://boyandgirlscouts.comnoreply@blogger.com