Girl Scouts
When my parents and my little sister join Girl Scouts, I had hesitations. Sure, I had enjoyed Cub Scouts as a kid, but me and my sister were very different people. She just didn't seem like a Girl Scout kind of person. She had never had any interest in being a Brownie when she was younger and, now that she was older, all she liked to do was stay inside and read books and draw. I saw nothing wrong with this, but I could not picture her loving the great outdoors, earning merit badges, having campfires, and roasting s'mores. She was kind of a loner and not a very active or social girl Not the kind to tramp along with 20 other girls in the great outdoors.
She didn't seem very excited about the Girl Scouts either. As a matter of fact, when she got her Girl Scout uniform, she practically threw a fit. She refused to try it on and it turned into a big fight. Finally, my mom made a deal with her. She told my sister that, if she was willing to try out the Girl Scouts for a month, she could have a pet dog like she had been wanting. That seemed like quite a reasonable reward to my sister the time. The next day, she became an official part of the Girl Scouts of America.
I have never seen someone change so fast. The great thing about it was that she did not lose any of her old interests. She still enjoyed reading books, drawing, and having intellectual discussions, but she also enjoyed more hands-on things. Her mood seemed better too. I think it was all the exercise she was getting hiking around. She was suddenly less somber and quiet. She even made some new friends, which pleased my parents greatly. Although my sister never seemed unhappy to me, my folks were worried because she didn't know that many girls her age. When she joined the Girl Scouts, she was soon having sleepovers with her buddies just like any other little girl.
She also learned some pretty neat things in Girl Scouts. I was amazed by how much girl and Boy Scouts overlap. We both learned how to start campfires, tie the same knots, and do many other things. It is neat because we got to compare our experiences in the outdoors. As a big brother, it was cool to see her interested in something I had done. I got to give her camping advice for the first time.
