Girl Scouts is a world of possibilities.

It’s where I learned about primitive camping,  explore careers and change a tire.
But somewhere along the line,  it became a comparing to the Joneses.

Our troop earned X badges and journeys in year 1, what we’ll we do next year? 

My daughter’s vest had no room for patches,  do I see on? 

And,  most importantly, how do I squeeze all these journeys and badges into two years?

Leaders,  here’s a hint: You don’t have to do it all.

You can finish Brownies without a single journey or religious award. You can complete Juniors without a badge or Bronze. In fact I don’t think I earned a single interest project in a troop setting after 7th grade, though I was active enough to get my Gold.

If your girls want to spend four meetings on a jewelry fundraiser for scholarships for girls in Haiti, guide them, and change your personal plans.

If they just want to camp,  show them those experiences,  even if it’s a challenge for you.
Don’t limit them to book guidelines, use it as a springboard for adventure.

You don’t have to do it all.  You can do more with less .