Hiding From the Cookie Momsters

[plumtreeblossom]

It's Girl Scout Cookie Time at the office! And everydamnbody is doing their daughter's Girl Scout cookie sales for them. Apparently the Girl Scouts Of America condones this practice, since I'm seeing poster-size glossy order sheets printed by GSA.

As a former Girl Scout and thereby a Scout For Life, I have this much to say: What does it teach a child when you do their work for them? How is a child supposed to take pride in an accomplishment when it wasn't their accomplishment at all? Also, just plain WTF?

When I was a Scout 300 years ago, we did our own selling, dammit. We were supervised by adults (door-to-door sales w/o an adult were nixed even back then), but we did the selling. We counted the money and recorded the sales our little selves (uphill both ways in the snow!). Here are some of the things it taught us:

Reliability
Honesty
Courtesy
Simple accounting
Saleswomanship
Teamwork
Goal-oriented thinking
Organizational skills

and most importantly

The sort of self-esteem that comes from doing something yourself, which no amount of "unconditional validation" or whateveryoucallit can give.

Now then, what does it teach a child when a mom (or dad) comes home and says "I sold all 30 of your boxes at work, sweetie!" It teaches them that someone else will do their work for them and they need do nothing themselves in order to have "achieved." It teaches that they can just stay there on the sofa and grunt a "thanks" and be all set for their quota.

Ergo, if you want to drive your daughter over to my house or workplace, walk her up, and let her make the sale herself, I promise I will buy. Otherwise, stuff 'em back in your SUV.

Woof.

Comments

[minkrose]

*grin* I always sold my own. Mom's workplace has rule that they won't try to sell things to each other, and she was a GS herself so she wouldn't have condoned it either. Much as tramping around outside isn't fun, you get to meet some of your neighbors that you might not otherwise ever meet, which is nice. I sold the calendars too.

and the thing is, it's REALLY not that hard. All you have to do is find a neighborhood that hasn't been hit too hard yet. And most people will only buy a few if they know they're likely to be hit up more than once. Selling in front of the grocery store is good, too. Group work, the girls are actually there, and people who haven't gotten asked door-to-door will frequently come up to buy. Sigh. It seems like kids don't do anything themselves anymore. I did all my OWN school projects, too.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

A fellow Scout! Yes, I like to buy when the girls are set up in front of the T station with a cookie sales table. Then I buy, because it's the girls themselves doing the selling (and the adult supervising them doesn't do it for them). The get really into it -- the come right up to you with a sales pitch and make up songs about the cookies and whatnot. Its great when they are given the chance to do things for themselves.

Now I'm in the mood to sing dirtified versions of GS songs. Sing with me!

I've got something in my pocket
It belongs across your face...

[micklawson.livejournal.com]

My guess is that GSA are just kicking the market a little, come on, I thought we all had to do this generations work for them? You can't scream at them when they do wrong anymore, you can't call them names, and for some reason, they all seem to have a superiority complex:S

"my Mom sold more cookies that your Mom" lol

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

"my Mom sold more cookies that your Mom" lol

That's *exactly* what I'm talking about! People don't stop to think that these kids will be needing to live independant lives out in the world, and while the sale of mass-produced baked goods probably won't be their career, McDonalds will be if they grow up with the notion that the whole world exists to take care of them.

Back in my day, we knew how to pimp our own cookies!

[micklawson.livejournal.com]

Have you not thought that maybe the GSA have gotten the corporate idea and are teaching the little snobs that realy they should be prepareing themselves for a nepotistic life, jumping in at the middle management level, so all they need to do is be nice to their sales minions, and learn about Glass ceilings?

learn about Justice and civil rights now.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Hehe, you're too cool for Girl Scouts anyway. Little League Football Cheerleaders for you!

Only one girl got "suspended" from my Brownie troup, and from school too -- because she had an unconscious habit of diddling herself under her dress. :-D

[strangeanimal.livejournal.com]

we bought from whichever friendly girl scout troop sold at Davis last year, so I'm sure they'll be getting our repeat business. 'cuz girl scout cookies rock.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I love the Davis and Porter Girl Scouts. Last year one day when I was exiting the Porter turnstiles, the G'scouts had made up a cheerleader cheer for the cookies and were performing it with gusto. I went home with a box of Peanut Butter Patties and a box of Thin Mints.

[strangeanimal.livejournal.com]

the G'scouts had made up a cheerleader cheer for the cookies and were performing it with gusto.

"Girl Scout cookies, Girl Scout cookies, Girl Scout cookies, something something something!" -- of course, I blank on whatever their last line was. Yeah, they definitely had gusto.

And we like the same cookies. Get out of my brain, I haven't cleaned in there lately! ;)

[heliopsis.livejournal.com]

Testify, sister! Happily you will also find Girl Scouts hawking in the T stops, and there it's the girls selling with a modest amount of support and supervision from parents.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Testify, sister!

Heehee! Can I hear a sweet Amen, brother! Sell cookies, not war!

[kalisti23.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was a GS too, right through ninth grade until the interest in the troupe died out. One year I sold enough cookies to earn the stuffed animal (gund teddy bear holding a little heart that said "I love cookies"), and I sold them myself, damnit! I had a goal to reach for that damned bear, and I reached it.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Go, sista scout! When I sold mine they were an outrageous $1.00 a box in 1975, but I SOLD 'em myownself, by god!

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Last year, I ordered a box while home from Kripalu, and the selller (and her mom, heh) knew I was away when they arrived, and is friends with the person whose house my stuff was at. But when I returned and asked about it, she told me they:d eaten the cookies themselves. So I am definitely not buying from her again. Cash on delivery from now on!