Once a Girl Scout, Always a Girl Scout

Girl Scouting runs deep in my family. When my mother was a young girl, my Oma started a Girl Scout Troop when there was none available. Her troop was known for being organized, active and outdoors! She taught her troop songs in German and left impressions on many girls. When I was in elementary school, I joined as a Brownie Girl Scout at my school. The girl holding the American flag is me!

Eventually, we ran into the same issue that had plagued my grandmother – there were no active troops available near me. My mom started a troop and became my leader.

Our troop was very active. Even my Daddy became a Girl Scout! He was our lifeguard, guitarist at the campfire, and great Do-Dad!

We camped many times and learned many Girl Scout traditions and skills.

Of course, the songs were a part of the tradition. “The Princess Pat” never gets old!

We didn’t just sing, and craft, and camp. We learned to cook in many different ways. In this photo, we are cooking on a coffee can, with our mess kit pans ready.

Horseback riding is something that some Girl Scout camps offer.

Our troop was very organized and my mom paid attention to all of the little details. We had a custom hand-painted banner and our ceremonies were always very fancy.

Local adventures in the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland area were always fun, but our adventures out of the state were really memorable.

Our troop visited Savannah, Georgia and the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace Museum.

We enjoyed Camp Conowingo and Bell Manor Mansion, and we had many adventures.

The following photo is me bridging from Junior to Cadette. That’s my mom, inviting me to cross the bridge.

One of the most memorable trips we took was to New York City. We got to go see “Annie” on Broadway, visit the FAO Schwarts Store and have dinner at The Hard Rock Cafe.

When I graduated from High School, I thought I was finished with Girl Scouting. When I was told I couldn’t have children, Girl Scouting didn’t really cross my mind often except when I would buy cookies at a booth. Many years later, I had a little girl and started looking into scouting again.

Unfortunately, I read some misinformation about Girl Scouts that led me to choose American Heritage Girls for our family. My little one absolutely loved it. Besides being absolutely adorable in her uniform, she developed long-term friendships and earned many many badges and patches in a short time.

Then, Covid came and everything changed. Because we have some vulnerable immune systems in our household, we opted to isolate ourselves early and stayed isolated longer than many of our peers. AHG didn’t offer options for us to participate electronically and we learned more about their policies and responses relating to inclusivity around the same time. I decided that American Heritage Girls was no longer the best fit for our family. When I researched further, I learned that the negative information I thought I knew about Girl Scouts was false. It was time to come back to GSUSA.

We attempted to participate during the pandemic, with my oldest girl as a Junior and my youngest as a daisy. We really didn’t jump right in and thrive until we were able to start participating in person. We joined Girl Scouts as IRGs or Juliette’s. An IRG is an Individually Registered Girl. This means that the girl is not in a troop, their parent acts as their leader, but they get access to council events and resources. This worked very well for us!

Above is my youngest as a Daisy. The photo was taken at an overnight event at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. This was so much fun and got us connected with many members of our local community. Below is my oldest, as a cadette, speaking with Chief Executive Officer of GSSJC, Mary Vitek and Betsy Kamin, the Board Chair at the time of the photograph, at an annual meeting.

Our Girl Scout council offers many Special Interest Groups. These are groups that Girl Scouts can join to explore a specific area of interest, with our without their troopmates. My eldest daughter and I got involved in Backpacking through Girl Scouts; something that we probably wouldn’t have tried otherwise. We have made many memories on trips and while representing backpacking at council events.

My youngest’s journey continues as well. We joined a troop for a few years for her. This photo is of her in her Brownie uniform, just before bridging on the roller rink!

We are back to being IRGs again, mostly because I needed to be spread less thin and keep myself from being overstimulated. We continue to be very active in our Girl Scout Community and Council. I recently got my 15 years of membership pin and also became a Lifetime Member!

With my girls being Fourth Generation Girl Scouts, we very much enjoy sharing the traditions and skills that we learn and I’m so thankful for an organization that is so inclusive, protective and encouraging for our girls. I’m especially thankful for the leadership opportunities that Girl Scouts offers girls. I will never regret continuing the Girl Scout tradition in our family!