Opening a Can of Worms

I have some bad habits. One is responding too quickly to someone, whether in person or online.

Case in point: A mother posts on a local mom’s page asking if anyone has seen anyone receive push back from the BSA (or just Scouts now?) For being an Athiest.

I click on the woman’s profile and immediately see a picture of her and her daughter, and she’s wearing a “Proud to be a Girl Scout leader” shirt. Anyone who follows the news knows that there is a lawsuit filed by the GSU alleging that the BSA is sabotaging their program allowing girls to join and giving (ignorant) people the impression that the GSU and BSA have somehow merged.

I’m right down the middle on the whole allowing girls that the BSA decided to pull. As a mom of both girls and boys, 3of which have participated in Scouts, I have several observations about the two organizations:

1. Cub Scouts is very family oriented. Parents are encouraged (required Tiger year) to attend den and Pack meetings. Siblings are welcome at both. The majority of Scouting events include the family.
2. GSU has the opposite view and approach. I witnessed the first wave of drama 2 years ago when a friend was told she could not walk alongside her 6 year old in the local Memorial day parade. It caused one mom to pull her daughter and be done with Scouts all together. It caused one of the troop leaders (more on her in a bit) to post a dramatic martyrdom style commentary alleging one of the mothers in our troop verbally assaulted the unit coordinator.
3. I strongly considered pulling my daughter at that point, but she liked the girls in her troop and enjoyed the Daddy/daughter dance. Sorry, “Me and My Guy.”
4. About this time, my Cub Scout son had enjoyed his first full week of Summer day camp. It was local, from 8-4ish (after colors it was more like 4:30) and only $175.
5. Fall came and he had popcorn booths to do. I have stopped soliciting family for $12-$20 popcorn, but have no issue with my kids standing at a booth and soliciting strangers. If they don’t want it, my only request is that you politely say no thank you or ignore the booth. 75% of the sales of the popcorn go directly to the pack to fund events and activities.
6. Meanwhile, cookie season now begins in early December and goes through March. My daughter’s troop leader (not the one I already commented about) takes an aggressive approach to booths and always seems to book the day after Christmas in the mall. I appreciate her willingness to help the troop raise money, they just had two great adventures with some of the money earned. But why do the Girl Scouts only earn .90/box? Where does the money go?
7. Girl Scout camps start around $300 for the same type of day camp I posted about above. Why so expensive?
8. Meanwhile, the second leader apparently got too comfortable with the troop’s money last year and while the investigation from council has started, she dipped out as a leader. Money has yet to be recovered and her daughter loses out from her mom’s poor judgment.
9. Family is not invited to Girl Scout events, only leaders who are CORI checked and pay $25. I don’t mind the CORI check if they are leaders, but adding a fee and excluding non registered parents is ridiculous.

Anyway, back to the case in point. Said mother responds 6 hours after she made the post, telling everyone she is a stage IV cancer fighting single mom of a girl she wanted to sign up for the Scouting program (not GSU) and wants to make sure she is well rounded. Then says she is 60% through the application process and it asked her to make a declaration of faith.

I’m not familiar with said application, and obviously had a major foot in the mouth moment after I assumed the proud GSU leader was trying to stir up controversy about BSA rather than simply whine about how BSA apparently discriminates her for being an Athiest. 🙄

Nothing like a bunch of moms telling me how rude I am for guessing the intentions of a terminally ill mom. Which for the record, I had no idea about prior to the comment saying so.

I did reply and told her I don’t think that the organization is in line with her beliefs. Or lack there of.

I will work on controlling the speed at which I come to a conclusion and post, but I wish people would stop trying to change things because they do not follow their belief system entirely.