I'm Getting Through to You!

It has been a busy few months and I have not published a blog post in a while.

This is not to say that I have had no inspiration!

I have been working on a quite a few blog articles (not published yet), a series of extra merit outdoor skill badges (which I am very excited about - coming soon....) in collaboration with E-Patches & Crests as a supplement to the new Guiding program for our girls.

I moved Guiding branches to Guides, where I have had some big shoes to fill from the previous Guider who moved up to Pathfinders, who might I add is AWESOME and is always game for new adventures!

I helped transition our Brownie unit with some eager new leaders. I moved up branches from Cubs, and started a new Scout troop. I have been busy organizing events, meetings, and well... attempting to have some semblance of a life.

Some days I am excited for meetings. Some days I want to curl up in bed, but I still prepare the meeting because I have a troop waiting for me. So, I argue with my daughter as she fusses that she cannot find her Guide scarf in the abyss that is her room.

'We are going to be late' I yell out as I realize that she has not eaten supper yet either. She does not seem to care. Sometimes she loves Guides, and other days she does not care. Does she realize how much time I put in for her?

I grab a granola bar and random snacks to feed her during our half an hour drive to the meeting. She is not impressed, and lets me know that the granola bar is the wrong kind and that chocolate chips are not healthy. Really? You were not health conscious when you ate the entire jar of Nutella with a spoon two days ago!

Anyways, the meeting may be exciting, it may not. We may have games and crafts, we may discuss topics related to badges. One thing for sure, we always talk about bullying and inclusion. My daughter may be engaged, or she may be completely disregarding everything I say because I am her Mother and Guider, and she is 9 and I apparently do not know anything.

Crazy that I can lead a group of 20 girls no problem. They listen and take direction, and are very respectful. However, my own kids do not listen, and challenge every word that I say.

I look back at my youth, and remember what an outcast I was. I never fit in. I was bullied and picked on. Even as an adult I do not really fit in. I am weird and awkward, but have learned to embrace it.

Guiding was a place where I learnt many skills, and I was always welcome. I want my girls to feel the same.

It is a very difficult age. They have selective groups, and to be honest can be very mean if you do not fit in.

Bullying and inclusion are always on the discussion menu at Guides. The last few months we have really been working on this topic, discussing healthy relationships, being bossy, conflict resolution and conflict styles...We are even doing the I Believe in We! Girls United Challenge!

All this to say that I think I'm getting through to a least one girl in my unit; my own daughter.

She has recently befriended a girl in her school. They have been talking on the phone non-stop the last couple of weeks. I hear constant chatter about how wonderful her new best friend is. Before that I had never heard of her friends name. I know most of the girls in her grade. I asked if she was new at school. No, she has always been at the school.

Yesterday evening she was invited to a sleepover at this friends house. On the drive I asked how they became friends?

She told me that a few weeks ago most of her friends were absent and she saw that this girl was alone at recess. She saw that she was made fun of and bullied. She said that she thought about our discussion at Guides the night before and decided to ask her to play.

It turns out that they have 'everything in the WORLD in common'! She said that she does not know why they were not friends before?

Words cannot express.......

Both of these girls have made such a positive impact on each other. It also turns out that they are very similar and have the same interests. My daughter learned a valuable lesson about friendship and how easy it is to make a difference. Her act rewarded her with an unexpected friendship.

I am a huge advocate of outdoor skills and make this a large part of the program and our personal life. I have been trying to incorporate anti-bullying into every activity we do.

I am proud of my daughter for many things; she tied her first taut-line hitch and made an adjustable campfire cooking tripod on our family camping trip a few weeks ago, or when she won an award at school last Spring.

She is independent and headstrong which is why she probably argues with me constantly. As a parent, we worry about what kind of people they will become. Guess what? They are listening! I am getting through one girl at a time!

Last night I teared up. She may or may not be many things in life. She will likely make a lot of mistakes, and I will continue to go grey watching her grow.

But, I know that she will be a decent and caring human being.