Nike

"Ask the girls." Juliette Gordon Low I would propose spring and fall tenting and a winter cabin/lodge. Point out fun things to do and what types of cooking and bathroom accommodations there are. However, if the girls don't want to go, there is no sense in pursuing it. Girls go to GS resident camp independent of their troops. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are not mirror programs.

You've got a mean, manipulative mom there alright and her daughter is picking up on it all. I think all your troop can do is stonewall her, and hopefully she'll eventually find a weaker troop to turn into her ideal.

Tim, Do consider that what New Mom wants is what is a little more standard for a Girl Scout troop--not the uni though. However, as ScoutNut pointed out, it's the girls' troop. If they don't want to do the things New Mom thinks they should, and new Mom is unwilling to bribe and coax them (Let's go to the Zoo day and stop at ColdStone Creamery after!) to do new things, then New Mom needs to zip it. Could it be that New Mom is just not good at being diplomatic and/or your leaders and parents are just so comfortable with the way things have been that y'all aren't being as open as you

Having flaky parents is no reason to separate a girl from a troop. It sounds like she's just a first class complainer and needs to be in charge so that everything is her way. I would nicely encourage her to form her own troop or find service unit/area volunteer jobs to keep her out of my hair. Does her daughter like the troop? Is she happy?

Does this situation bother your SM as much as it does you?

When a rank or patch is awarded, attach placement directions. If you have a boy with the award correctly sewn on his uniform, ask if Johnny would like to stand up and show everyone where it is on his uni. Other than that, don't sweat it.

The last year I was PK in the States (2008), our council's fundraising chief told us that she would personally pull the charter for any unit she found opening the microwave popcorn and selling individual packets. She also said no "Donation" tins. But, did not forbid accepting a donation. In my experience, men don't want to deal with change or ones, and are more likely to say, "Keep the change as a donation." If you open the boxes, you are violating some food regs that require nutritional information on packaging. Your council will be held ultimately responsible by whatever regulator i

Our troops and packs visit Kandersteg in Switzerland and WW1 & 2 sites in France. Can we get them in German and French too?

My 2 euro cents worth: Your office management problems are not my problems. And no, I will not be giving you any paperwork 6-8 weeks before our charter expiration.

If Girl Scouts are invited and attend a BSA event, they have their own insurance to cover accidents. Remember, that Girl Scouts frequently do what is in their leaders' comfort zone. If your daughter wants her troop to move out of that zone, you as a parent need to get in there and really offer to coach and lead those activities. But, be prepared to find out that maybe your daughter and her troop-mates won't enjoy the same stuff. Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts are not mirror organizations. In the beginning, there was considerable opposition to a girls' program that was too much like

If you think your daughter's Girl Scouts troop sucks, then get in there and HELP!

We'd have to split our pack. And, the girls don't necessarily want to be in groups with boys. If you watch them at school, they split up on the playground at recess all the time. Boys also play and learn differently than girls. At our family campouts and outdoor pack meetings, the girls usually go off and do their own thing during free time. During activities they are usually right in there. Co-ed works for some, but for a 100 years, we've gone single sex in America. It would be nice if BSA and GSUSA could bury the hatchet and confederate. Each would leaven out the extr

This was only half right. The medal can be worn on the front of the vest and the round patch on the back. Knots are not used in Girl Scouts, so I don't get why she'd have one. And "foreign," that is not GSUSA official awards, can go on the back. With all teh turmoil about uniforms, awards, etc the last few years, it's been hard to keep up. Plus we don't have a very good uniform guide with written requirements.

For a military analogy: Cub Master is Deputy Commander-Maneuver Committee Chair is Deputy Commander-Support COR/IH is Div Commander Now, I hate the org chart on myscouting.org and military analogies. The org chart is mis-leading in how a Pack actually functions and who works with whom. And being in a large, top-heavy military community, we don't need more people pulling made-up rank after hours at childrens' activities. Really, the CC and CM are partners. The cubs and the program are what matter.

I would love to see GSUSA get back a real uni. A decent shirt, zip-off capris or a skirt with a GS trefoil embroidered on it, and the vest/sash/tunic. For Adults, too. I am so tired of the rag-bag look.

When we lived in CA, GA, and NC, the LDS units never came to any round tables, didn't participate in Re-Charter class (on a Saturday), and were pretty scarce at day camp. Here our LDS Pack and Troop really make an effort to attend area wide events and stay in touch with other units.

I wonder how many LDS families would buck the system and stick with Scouts in non-LDS troops if LDS church severed their ties to BSA?

As today's Scouts become tomorrow's CORs and IHs, not to mention SEs and board members, we will probably begin to see changes in the membership requirements: sexual orientation, religious belief, and even gender (or the even more difficult gender identification.)

That's a bronze project in these parts. Best to your daughter. I hope she comes back to GS once she has time.

I do understand why the project was termed non-sustainable: your daughter had (possibly) not made arrangements to have this picked up as an on-going effort by someone. If your daughter had thought of this earlier, she could have possibly worked with your local "Run for the Cure" group and had a blanket making station as part of the larger event. Then, "RfC" could possibly have made it a standard part of their event from then on. Your daughter would leave behind a complete book detailing how to run the station, who good sources were for funding/donations, etc. Now, all that said: I'

Why do you want to stay with this group if they are as disagreeable as you portray them?

Contact your Council's Gold Award Coordinator with a brief explanation and ask if you can set up a time for her and your daughter to talk, heart to heart. If the GA Coordinator isn't cooperative, move up to the CEO, #1 GSUSA employee, and the Board Chairman, #1 volunteer. The committee should have helped your daughter identify weaknesses in her proposal and ways to fix those. Lastly, hours are a suggested number. Some girls are fast and thorough, others are slow and less thorough. No one should be punished for efficiency. Good luck to your daughter.

I'm going to put on my semi-pro hat and ask: Why does this troop of 100 even exist? Why weren't older/younger groups spun off into their own troops? Just because you have different unit numbers doesn't mean you can't work together.

SP- If you combine two different organizations into one executive committee and checkbook: WATCH THE MONEY. Having a girls' program that works with the Cub Pack, Troop, and all the other programs your parish supports is a great idea, but you need to step back and let the leaders of that second organization take wing, exercising their own strengths. AHG is not the girls' division of BSA.

I was at a Philmont conference in 2009, and one of our group was supposed to be on the trail with his Crew, but the Philmont doc said no. Apparently, he had some medical condition which his doctor in NJ said was fine, but the Philmont team did not agree. Anyway, the crew went, and the kids had a great time. Our group member also had a good time with us and was even more committed to making sure he absolutely got his chronic condition under control. Perhaps Philmont has a few spare staff they assign to crews that have sudden adult participation problems.