Girl Scouts & Responsibility

The Cadette troop I help with is comprised of 3 girls, basically. We have a few others registered that don't attend because of of other activities. They have matured and grown in the past 2 years. I'm very proud of each of them. 

One of my proudest moments came at this week's meeting. We were talking about Cookie Money, because it's that time of year. I asked the girls if they had thought about what they may want to do with their Cookie Money. Almost in unison, they said "Orange Leaf!". I laughed and said "okay, but that isn't much of a reward. Are you sure that's all you want to do?" They took turns explaining "Well, we want to save for Convention" and "Convention is going to cost a lot and the more we save the less we have to come up with" and "We don't need to do something big with our money, Convention is going to be awesome." 

The more I think about how mature and responsible these young women have become, the more it makes me remember why I do this... why I put in the hours of time... the sleepless nights... the staying up until 11PM to put together card kits for a service project... the counting cases of cookies over and over and over to make sure we have the right amount for booths, extras, cookie share, etc. 

This is why I do what I do. 

They get it. They have learned that you don't always have to spend money to have fun. You can save up and not have instant gratification. Sometimes working and waiting is better than spending immediately. 

In an age where college students take out student loans at a blink of an eye to finance more than their education... at a time where society says you have to have it all or you aren't successful... when stores tempt customers with junk on end caps because of impulse buying... if these 3 girls learn nothing else, I hope they grow up to be wiser about money and financially responsible in their decisions. 

So... bring on Orange Leaf

... and next year... bring on Convention!