Growing Up A Girl (Scout)

Remembering moments with my daughter makes me think about how fast time is flying through our fingers. This photo seems like yesterday ... but it was taken over a year ago.

Today as I picked her up from the airport after her annual summer visitation in Ohio, she wasn't in cowboy boots. She was in Converse with black leggings and a tuft of a tulle skirt sporting a band tee and feathers in her hair (all the rage now).

It was likely her last trip as an unaccompanied minor. It means that she's be jet setting on her own now. It also means that I'm not ready to watch her grow up much more!

But it will happen. Ready or not, I'm a mother of a young girl growing into a young woman. Thankfully, I'll have a string of opportunities this year to be part of the adventure (some near, some from afar) as she takes those steps - not only as a girl, but as a Girl Scout.

In a world full of questions and environments that are so different than my own when I grew up, I am thankful for the steady path of Girl Scouting: courage, confidence, character, and making the world a better place. It's a legacy and a future wrapped into the adventures she and her Girl Scout friends are creating today - and she doesn't even realize it!

And, admittedly, I feel weak as I face the future. But the sense of community I'm growing in as a mother of a Girl Scout is something that strengthens me. We can grow together here. And that thought makes me smile.

Diversity and Legacies

It does my heart good when I hear about inspiration and encouragement that simply relies on the human experience. Neither age nor race should play a discriminating role in the impact a person's life can have on the future of a girl. And I'm proud to say that I have found Girl Scouting to truly be a place where that is demonstrated.

Take Dawn and Dorothy, for instance. Dawn (left) grew up in McAlester with Dorothy (right) as her troop leader. At a recent event to honor Dorothy, the thanks and the stories that poured from Dawn's heart brought both laughter and tears. Dawn is NOT the outdoor type and as a girl had a hard time spending time away from home. Dorothy always encouraged her and always let her go home when it got to be too much ... time and time and time again.

Because of Dorothy's open encouragement, Dawn continued to take steps as she was ready, and eventually she made it through a night, and a weekend, and she has even successfully camped. But it wasn't just about staying overnight. It was about developing those core leadership skills - courage, confidence and character. The wisdom of patient leadership is what Dawn needed. And as a result, she had more than just a successful experience as a Girl Scout. She is now a professional Girl Scout staff member along with Dorothy! And maybe even more importantly, she is guiding her own daughter on a similar path in Girl Scouting to discover her strengths and master them one step at a time.

Dawn and Dorothy are both women who embody the Girl Scout Mission of making the world a better place ... one step at a time, one girl at a time. These women make me proud to be a Girl Scout, too!

Temporary Home

And so it begins ... Camp! This is my daughter's home for the next few days (and an excuse to try out my birthday present - a camera that does those moving panorama shots). This brings great memories to me of my childhood camping opportunities.

Camping For The Future

Which way to go? Sometimes that little question packs the biggest punch of them all. And it's also one of the things I love about the Girl Scout experience. The wide array of opportunities that are at a girl's fingertips give her a taste of what those directions hold. She has the freedom to explore her world.

Camp is just one of those ways to explore. From a specialized focus (outdoor activities like sailing to "S.T.E.M." directions like physics) to a wide array of options (my daughter's choice this summer is a camp where the campers decide what they want to do together), girls are exploring directions that will help them build their answers to the big question: Which way to go? It's not such a scary question if you're a Girl Scout!