My daughter was in Daisy's last year and the troop didn't do anything. I want to make it fun and enjoyable for my daughter and the rest of the kids in the group if I were to be the leader. I am looking for suggestions on running the troop as well. Thanks ahead of time.
2006-07-30 14:59:16 · 13 answers · asked by Someonesmommy 5 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Grade-Schooler
I've been my daughters leader for 10 years and there are plenty of pros and a few cons.
PROS first
You spend some great time with your daughter.
You see her do "firsts".
You will know who her friends are and their families very well.
Your daughter will think you are a the "bestest mom in the world".
You get to pick what is covered in the program.
You will get to pick what "isn't" covered in the program.
You get to pick what day your troop meets
You get to pick what time your troop meets and for how long.
You get to pick how often your troop meets
You get to pick where and when you go on field trips.
The troop pays your way on troop trips.
CONS
You have to watch girls grow up and move on.
You have to watch girls drop out because of their stupid parents.
You have to let the girls fail when they are learning.
You have to let them go when they graduate.
You have to remember that "Your Girls" aren't really "your girls".
Your daughter 'may' get jeleous of your attention to the other girls.
Your daughter 'may' end up being the default 'clean up' girl when all of the other girls parents pick them up and leave before everything is cleaned up and put away.
Really, the pros are way way more than the cons. You won't regret it.
**Please Please contact your council and get all of the training that you can stand, and then some. The more training you get, the better leader you will be. The less stress you will have, and the more fun you will have. I am a trainer, and a new leader PAL, and I can tell you that the number one reason a leader drops out is because they feel overwhelmed. So much of that can be avoided if they had had more training, and asked for help from the experienced leaders.
2006-07-30 15:37:55 · answer #1 · answered by Leader Lady Sue 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am my daughters troop leader, and this will be our 4th year. I wouldn't trade any of the moments we've spent together with our troop. It's not easy, Girl Scouts has so many rules and regulations that you have to go by that make it hard sometimes. We've had issues with parents not turning in cookie money, or parents not bringing girls to the meetings, but very few and far between. Most of our parents are great and help with everything we do. I have invested some of my own money, but not that much. Your local girl scout council should have some great things for you to look at and help decide what to do about patches, trips, activities, etc. Good luck!
2006-07-31 04:46:21 · answer #2 · answered by GAgirl 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My daughter has been in girl scouts for four years and there are plenty of pros. The girls in the troop really have a bond. They learn about self esteem, confidence, friendship etc BUT keep on mind, it is a thankless job, You have alot of paper work and you spend alot of time planning, trips,events, cookies(a huge project)
I suggest you do it with someone, it is alot easier and make sure you have other parents help as well. In my daughter;s troop almost every parent helps with one thing or another.
Good luck!
2006-07-31 07:39:38 · answer #3 · answered by Willow 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was a leader for my older daughter's troop from the time she was a Daisy until the troop dissolved in high school. My best advice is to keep it fun for the girls. My girls much preferred having a significant fun time together over earning badges. If the meetings become all about the badges you'll lose them. Also, parents would much, much rather fork over a little extra money for an outing if troop funds are low than to be bullied and browbeaten into having their daughters meet some grandiose cookie selling goal. You'll do yourself a favor if you give the families the option of paying the year's dues in advance. It wastes precious meeting time to have to deal with the issue of dues--who brought it, who forgot, who's paying extra because she forgot last time. Also, at your parent meeting at the beginning of the year have the parents fill in several permission forms in advance. That sure avoids the hassle of having to harrass parents for permission slips up to the time of a field trip. Everyone gets so busy with sports and school commitments that reminders are sooooo appreciated. If you have parents who want to contribute to the troop you could put them in charge of calling/e-mailing troop parents to remind them of upcoming meetings, field trips, refreshment assignments, etc.
I wish you luck. I really treasured my time as a leader, and as a matter of fact may be stepping up to lead my younger daughter's troop this year.
2006-07-30 19:51:34 · answer #4 · answered by Leah M 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you have the time and money to invest? Yes I said money. Dues don't pay for EVERYTHING (I was an assistant GS leader for years). Then of course there is the cookie selling, who is going to be responsible for all of that, going on field trips, making sure all of the forms are brought in on time and if they are not having to tell one child they can't go. Or having to tell a child they can't go because they don't have the money needed to take a trip. Then of course there are the "cliques" little girls get into, one or two won't be a part of the "in group" and you have to deal with that as well. Think about what it entails to entertain just your daughter alone and multiply that by how many girls are going to be in your troop...
2006-07-30 18:16:24 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
ya be nice to the kids! I think they have suggestion sites for that... check google. I did brownies and I quit the year after that because our troop leader was mean and even spanked her daughter at a meeting!
2006-08-05 01:48:18 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't do it, you will have tons of work with no rewards. I got suckered into doing it for cub scouts and had no help, and the den leader was insane. I know ton's of parents who feel the same way, because people use the leader as a babysitter and drop the kids off for hours. The reason your daughter did nothing last year was because the leader had no help and it is such a gigantic pain in the booty. Don't do it.
2006-07-31 04:25:57 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
in your area, your local girl scout council will have ideas on hand for running your weekly or monthly meetings. the badges that the girls work toward are a little more structured in brownies than in daisies, so it is a little easier for you to develop a sense of direction with the girls. older girls (the juniors) are always working on different badges as well, so "sistering up" with the next level of scouts is always a good idea for brainstorming. there is a great guidebook that the scouts have that your local council can provide you with or direct you toward obtaining.
most of all, retain your sense of humor and have fun with it all. the girls all appreciate their accomplishments in scouts, so kudos to you for taking this on yourself. my daughter and i have a great time with it, and i also will be moving up to brownies with her this year (for yet one more round!)
good luck!
2006-07-30 15:24:45 · answer #8 · answered by kaydeedid 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You would have so much fun...it would be a lot of work on top of everything else you have to do so make sure you can spare the time...but what a wonderful thing to do with ur daughter! good luck and have fun
2006-08-05 09:52:22 · answer #9 · answered by tinker143 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Our materialistic approach to life coupled with ever increasing cut-throat competition is directly responsible for this. Innocence is seen as a weakness and in an environment of acute rivalry and competition, weakness can not be accepted. If anyone is still innocent, he or she is considered a big fool.
2016-03-27 07:42:04 · answer #10 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋