Guiding light

Hey, I know it's tough out there for kids today. They grow up too fast. Materialism has run rampant. Texting has replaced play and actual contact. And girls especially suffer from body image issues, which lead to self-esteem problems, no thanks to the media.

Even six year-olds worry about their weight!

School is about to restart and it could set off another round of your daughter fretting about her looks, her popularity, her clothes and whether she should have sex.

What a waste of time and talent. 

I made a better Boy Scout than I did a Girl Guide. (Don't ask.) But I admit that my short stint as a Guide introduced me to people, places and things that I would have otherwise missed. I have no doubt that these led to a more confident and stronger me.

The Guides are recruiting and registering next week. Consider signing up your daughter.

Meanwhile they have even launched their first online film fest.Here's a sample flick:

Hey, Guides is not just about selling cookies, okay? It's about learning how to interact with -- and even change -- the world.

Consider this my little public service message.

Comments

[Randall]

"Guides is not just about selling cookies, okay? It's about learning how to interact with -- and even change -- the world."

*And* selling cookies. Good cookies.

[Kat]

Um, the changing the world part might depend on which pack you wind up in. I landed in a hive of queen bees and wanna-bees who were more interested in eroding each other's confidence than in doing anything positive. And the leaders? They spent at least fifteen minutes of each meeting complaining about how they had no time to be leaders because they were working mothers. Not exactly role model stuff.

Come to think of it, the whole thing was a great object lesson in how the "sisterhood" doesn't always pull together the way it should, and how this starts very early -- we were all of eleven or twelve years old at the time, after all.

My mom had been a leader between high school and getting married, and I was devastated to end up in a pack with so much nastiness after hearing about how cool Guides was. So I know it can be a great experience, but not from first-hand knowledge.

[mouthyorange]

I was a Guide for just a few months but the competence-building skills I learned during that stint have stayed with me all my life. I think it's a terrific concept and should be an equally terrific experience. I'm glad it was for me. People should definitely look into it for their daughters.

What a shame, Kat, that you ended up with a group of that chemistry. I love your terms — Queen Bees and wanna-bees. I've seen more than one group of people who originally came together to do good works get derailed by similar dynamics. What a waste!

[martini]

Antonia, thanks for this post. I work in a downtown unit, and our girls are fantastic, they are a joy to spend time with, and it's so fun to teach them things, and do science experiments with them and hear how they think things work. And of course, camp is the highlight of the year, for me and them. :)

Kat, that's too bad. My experiences as a kid were amazing, which led me to want to continue being involved.

[CatBoreal]

Thanks for this Antonia.

I have a girl in Guides and another who's just graduated to Brownies from Sparks. It's been an amazing experience for them both in terms of self confidence and self reliance.

If they can survive a weekend of camping in the rain without a raincoat (yes, I'm a bad mother) they know they can survive anything.

[Dianne]

Kudos, Antonia, for bringing the Guides and the Scouts to the forefront. I think they're both fabulous groups and wish I'd been able to be a Guide when I was a child.

I also think that if finances allow, and it needn't be horribly expensive, that horseback riding is a great confidence builder for girls. Learning to partner with your horse, learning horse care, and learning how to keep a 1,500 pound animal from leaning on you *L* are terrific for one's self-esteem, and the exercise (balance, strength, focus) is excellent. You don't have to buy a horse nor invest in tack; the child needs a good helmet and boots with a proper riding heel, those are the first investments, and you can enroll the child in weekly riding lessons. Ask around for recommendations. Prepare to wind up spending the day at the barn! *s*