I saw on the morning news today that we are celebrating Girl Scout Cookie Day today. The CEO of Girl Scouts, Anna Maria Chávez, called it a “girl entrepreneurial” program. She also called it a “parent-supported” program which allowed girls to grow as individuals. Not sure what world Ms Chávez is living in today, but that is not my experience.
Despite being a Cookie Monster (GS Cookie Coordinator) for my two girls’ troops at one time, I’m not a big supporter of the cookie fundraiser. I have issues with Girl Scouts selling cookies to kids and families given the rampant obesity in this country. I also have a problem with many of the ingredients of their cookies. I am not thrilled that the troops get a pretty small portion of those sales either. However, my biggest beef with this program is that it is often parent-driven and not parent-supported.
I was once a Girl Scout and I went door-to-door and sold cookies to my neighbors. I was happy with what I was personally able to contribute to my troop. Nowadays, parents bring the cookie sales sheet to work and bully persuade their colleagues to purchase the cookies to support their daughter’s troop. Rarely do the girls actually make an appearance. Not even at delivery. Mom or Dad take care of the whole process from selling, collecting money and delivering. Perhaps this is an entrepreneurial program which teaches the girls how to delegate their responsibilities?
Upon further reflection, it is really not a Girl Scout cookie issue. It is a parenting issue.
Probably as a result of our helicopter parenting, we so desperately want our children to be successful (or at least viewed that way) that we do the work they should be doing. Who hasn’t gone to some event at their child’s school to see a variety of dioramas knowing full well that the parents did half the work of the children’s projects?
I don’t mind helping my children with those tasks, but my response is always something like this, “I’ve already completed 3rd grade. I’m happy to help where you are having difficulty, but this is your project.” Do my children’s dioramas look as good as the other kids’? Honestly, no they don’t – but they did it on their own. The accomplishment is theirs and theirs alone.
By selling those cookies, writing that essay, or building that diorama mostly for our kids versus supporting them, we are teaching our kids that their best isn’t good enough to be successful. We are also teaching them that failure is something that is unacceptable or to be feared. How hollow is that Outstanding Cookie Sales Badge victory if they didn’t earn it? Does the A they receive on their Colonial diorama project give them any satisfaction or pride if Mom or Dad did the majority of the designing and gluing of the Colonial home and farm?
What about when these kids become adults and are actually responsible for their own success and failure? Many of these kids will never had experienced personal failure until adulthood. Failure is part of life, part of learning and growing as a person. I suspect this next generation is going to have a difficult time dealing with the inevitable missteps they will experience in life.
I have to confess that I did buy some Girl Scout cookies from my neighbor’s child, Sophia, despite not liking the cookie program. Why? She dressed up in her uniform, knocked on my door and asked for the sale. Her mother was behind her, supporting her but not doing it for her. She was proud of herself, despite needing some help figuring out what change to give back.
The accomplishment was hers, as it should be.
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Originally published on Two Goats Away from Crazy
A wife, a mom, a chronic over-volunteerer, an early riser, a sister, a daughter, an aunt , a friend, a wine drinker, a belly-laugher.
I've told this story before, but my last company fired someone for bringing in his daughter's cookies sales sheet. Not because they were against inter-office solicitation, oh no. It's just that the owners brother had a girl scout and we were required to buy our cookies from her.
Doesn't surprise me in the least. Some crazy shit goes down with cookie sales. I lived through being Cookie Coordinator for two years and the stories I heard!
When my oldest daughter was a GS, her troop was going to go to an office in Stamford and sell cookies on a bank's trading floor as one of the moms worked there. It was ok with the bank, but not the Stamford GS. They said Hell NO! That is our territory and wouldn't let our girls actually physically go and sell there. However, it was a-ok that the mom shake down her colleagues.
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Ridiculous.
There's so much wrong with this program. As you say, it turns into the parents' job to solicit money. When I was a Girl Scout for about 5 minutes in the 1970s, it was expected that we would knock on doors by ourselves. Who in their right mind would now let a 10-year-old knock on strangers' doors?
Also, I don't think it's a good idea anymore for kids to be selling all that sugary, fatty crap. GS cookies were once a rare treat, but now we're awash in sugary junk. I'd like to see them find another way to raise funds.
As an avid consumer of Girl Scout cookies, I must vehemently disagree with the message this article is promoting!
From my side of things, once a year this awesome Pop Up Cookie Store opens at my work and stays open for a few days. I'm able to put in an order for multiple boxes of some of my favorite cookies (two thin mints – one of everything else) without doing any work or going anywhere. Later, the magic cookies show up on my desk like presents from Santa Claus.
It is the greatest thing ever.
Would it be nice, as an entirely independent issue, for the Girl Scouts to get more money or for young women to participate in an activity that increases independence or for parents to be less helicopter-ey generally?
Yes, those are all true statements. But as a consumer, whether those goals are met through cookie sales specifically don't really matter to me. They are entirely unrelated to my purchasing and consumption of delicious, delicious Girl Scout cookies!
THIN MINTS FOREVER!
Short time reader, first time commenter here.
By doing the dioramas for them the parents are also inhibiting one of the things that gives a bit of a competitive edge to this country. Individual creative thinking skills as opposed to the "nail that stands out get hammered down" societies. If we are not going to teach proper math skills it is one of the things we have going for us.
Like many others, I'd be happier supporting them if they sold something that wasn't 95% sugar.