C is for Cookie or is it for CRAZY??

My daughter joined the daisy scouts this year, they are fairly new as far as I know.  Back in my day, the dinosaur age as my 18 year old calls it they had Brownies, then Girl Scouts.  My sweet little girl has embraced daisy scouts, she loves going to monthly meetings, events with her troops and meeting new friends and hanging with the old ones.

Isn't she adorable, makes you want to buy 500 boxes of cookies from her doesn't it??  Excuse the photo-bomber in the back.

I can do alot of things, soccer mom, dance mom,PTA mom etc... what I am not is a girl scout mom. I give our troop leaders Jessica & Emily mad props for their organization, time, effort and patience with these girls.  Girl Scouts seems to change the rules alot and you need to know alot as a leader, these 2 ladies are both moms to 3 kids and I could never do it. As I watched Emily explain cookie names, cookie procedures and money to this group of very excited girls at last week meeting with a smile on her face I decided she should be sainted, STAT!!  I was content driving to meetings and events, volunteering to bring snack and watching my daughter enjoy this experience..... then came cookie rally 2012, or what I like to refer to as cookie chaos,these people love their cookies.

Don't get me wrong, I think the girl scouts are a great organization and teach great values. I did just learn they are a for profit organization and not a non profit, which I never realized but they are still great. What I don't think is great is having a 17 old ambassador tell a 5 year old that for 2012 boxes of cookies you can get an Ipad.  See these pretty purple t-shirts?  oohs and ahhs from these wide eyed 5 and 6 year old girls,yes we love purple.Mommy, I want that t-shirt.  You only need to sell 250 boxes of cookies. SAY WHAT??

Girl Scout cookies =big money,no whammies
It's tough being a daisy scout,brownie or girl scout these days. These sweet little girls are everywhere, every street, every grocery store and corner.  Everytime I hear Girl Scout cookies I think of that episode of Everyone Loves Raymond with the cookie booths the fight between Peggy & Raymond, that episode just cracks me up.  I think I might watch it on hulu after I type this blog.
I do think the prizes could be more reasonable.  Don't think my child should have to sell 30 boxes of cookies to get a patch to put on her smock, that should be given just for selling 1 box. Now back to that purple t-shirt for 250 boxes. Pretty sure the higher ups at The Girl Scouts of America aren't going to console my daughter when she is upset over not getting the t-shirt because she couldn't sell 250 boxes of cookies, that's all me dealing with that drama meltdown.  I feel like we are pimping our kids for cookies.  While I realize they are yummy deliciousness and a party in our mouths that pretty much sell themselves,why put such high standards on it? 

I know Miss 17 year old Ambassador went to Italy last year and is going to London this year which is amazing and I'm glad her & her sister who sell 1000 boxes each at a cookie booth, but these girls are 5 and 6. I just think that this cookie craze might be a tad to much for me and my child.  My child is a go getter and she has sold quite a bit of cookies in the past 2 days, but I don't want her to feel that she has to sell 500 boxes for a prize I can buy for $10-$15.00 at Target. She has asked to go door to door, asked to set up a table at the end of the driveway ( I did say no) and asks everyone she sees.  she is motivated, all on her own by going to her troop meeting and cookie rally and just by me mentioning the start of cookie season. I did gently talk her goal down.  Besides how many boxes of cookies does it take to get to London?? You don't want to know and I'm pretty sure that sweet 17 year old who was all sweet to these little daisies would probably run them over in a New York minute if it meant she got the better cookie booth spot or to the nearest buyer of the thin mints.

While watching other kids and parents at this cookie rally and hearing the way some of these moms were talking to their daughters I realized that I don't belong in this world and am hoping my daughter possibly decides to move on to something different in the next few years. I understand the whole cookie money thing and some girls need it for outings so anyone reading this, I do get it, I just think the Girl Scouts could handle it possibly better.  I also might add that if they had online ordering and direct shipping they could make some serious bank! Why not set up a deal with troops in other states, can't be that hard to figure out... or is it?? Is it because we are all so busy pushing out kids to sell 2012 boxes of cookies??

Girl Scouts is for some and again, it's great, I am not bashing them, it's just not for me, but since my daughter enjoys it I will do what makes my daughter happy. Isn't that what being a parent is all about??  Why are we selling cookies you ask or wonder? Because she is in a troop and that is what the troop does.  They set a goal and she met her goal and exceeded it.  I am so proud of my little daisy scout.

We will ride out the cookie craze through March, lord help me and I might be drunk quite a bit to survive it.

Cookies anyone??

2012 of thin mints for my freezer, why yes please!