:smack:
Apparently I didn’t notice that part either.
Yeah, we used to have one of these in the mall nearby, and that sounds more like what the girls are after when they use the term “spa day.”
Ha! I remember when my daughter went to Libby Lu for a birthday party. She came home looking like a cross between streetwalker and Little Miss Beauty Pageant. Like this: http://responsiblemarketing.com/blog/2008/10/21/responsible-or-not-club-libby-lu , only more so. Which was hilarious because she was a complete tomboy.
I’m willing to bet it’s just the troop–sound eerily like my Civil Air Patrol experiences, actually–some of the groups were top notch, some of the groups (like my home one) were run by idiots (our first adult leader was amazing. So amazing she got recruited into the statewide organization. And her replacement was the kind of lazy-ass who actually bragged about deliberately gaining 40lbs as soon as he was in charge so he’d be over the weight limit and no longer have to adhere to uniform and grooming standards).
You don’t know anything about the goals and methods of the Scout programs. Teaching the youth members to lead themselves is what both Scouting programs are all about.
Whipty doo, dipshit. If you honestly think that letting preteen girls make the decision to spend money intended (by most) as a donation for scout activities for manicures and make-up is a goal of scouting, you’re an imbecile.
Well, and it’s also The American Way.
It CAN be a scout activity. Have you not read the other posts here that point out how it fits into some badge work? In my troop (older Juniors) one month maybe the girls went to a local garage to see how to change oil in a car, the next month they wanted a girly party. Just because they want a spa-like party does not mean that is all they do! Girl Scouting is supposed to expose girls to a wide variety of activities, not just camping. And the girls ARE supposed to make the decision on what to do with the money. If the parents decided everything for the troop it would be called “Parent Scouts”.
A spa day is a scout activity.
This year my girls have gone bowling, roller skating and to winter encampment. They’ve caroled in a group home for the elderly and they’ll be planting flower there this Spring. Last year our cookie money went to horse camp - and planting native trees in a city park which was our service project.
I’m not sure how “spa day” is any worse as a girl scout activity than “roller skating.” Or what you think that 2nd and 3rd grade girls do in scouts. I hope I’m not bursting your bubble, but what Brownies use your money for is to go roller skating or to the zoo. Their leader buys craft supplies so that they can make 2nd grade versions of quilts and hand puppets.
(Boy Scouts at that age aren’t much different, a little more camping in most trips - and probably fewer manicures, but probably more going to baseball and basketball games than most girl scout troops).
Its as Scouts gets older that the boys and girls start developing a service focus and start really developing leadership skills. At the age we are talking about, the leadership skills are “zoo or rollerskating or spa day” and the service is “lets pick up a park on Earth Day” - if, honestly, its anything at all - leaders drive the “service” (girls will drive the fun all by themselves at that age) and some leaders really aren’t into organizing a food drive.
This is a scout activity. They don’t all involve pipecleaners or tents.
If I am reading it right, this was the situation.
Girls sell a bunch of cookies, earn $X.
Large percentages of that money go to the national organization, summer camping trip (which is a more traditional scouting activity), and other costs associated with scouting.
A small percentage is earmarked for the girls themselves to decide what to do with. This little bit of autonomy is their reward for their hard work, and a lesson in itself in group decision making. They decide on 1) giving some to a charity and 2) having a silly party. That just doesn’t seem at all unreasonable. I mean, if they spent the entire pot of cookie proceeds on stuff like that, it would be a little much, but they didn’t.
I mean, if one single second grader had a job doing chores for a neighbor, and earned $50, and their parent said “Ok, you have to save $25, use $5 to buy your sister a birthday present, use $10 for your school supplies, and then you can do whatever you want with the last $10”, would you really chide the parent if they “let” their child spend that $10 on something stupid? This is the same situation writ a little larger.
Frankly, it isn’t a bad thing for the girls to learn when they are young. Spend your money on a spa party instead of saving it, and when that other troop goes to Chicago for a weekend as middle schoolers because they saved their money…well.
Last year my girls emptied their troop account and went to a weekend horse camp (I subsidized. My girls don’t sell that many cookies) This year I proposed that they think about the “big trip” idea. Partly because next year they will be middle schoolers - and I’d like them to stick with it. Partly because I want them to learn delayed gratification and planning.
I’m a bit torn over the idea of encouraging little girls to be obsessed with their looks at such a young age, but in the environment of Girl Scouts I think it’s positive, overall – as Dangerosa pointed out, there are sometimes a few kids who lag in the hygiene department, and this is likely helping nip later embarrassment in the bud.
I am curious, tough, what a ‘worthy’ activity would have been, for the same price, to people who have a real problem with the spa day.
(I should also add that it never really occurred to me where the money went. And I was in Girl Scouts!)
This is why I find the idea of the spa disgusting.
A spa can be massages and facials – think pampering instead of focusing on looks.
It is NOT about teaching them to be obsessed with their looks. I understand that interpretation, but emphatically disagree. I’ve worked with tons of children, and at their age it’s about mimicking adults.
Every day all or most of those girls will see their moms, their big sisters, their older cousins, friends of older siblings, even their aunts and grandmothers, dressing up for special occasions (or just for work). Styling your hair and doing your makeup and having colored nails is a part of being a grown up woman, so it’s enticing for young girls to think about and try out.
We had a dress-up box when I was growing up, used by boys and girls. This version of a spa day is playing dress up with faces and hair instead of just clothes. They get to imagine themselves as grownups and as completely different people. It’s fun! Moreover, girls at that age have pretty short attention spans, so I bet the most they spend on the looks is 15 - 30 minutes, and the rest will be games and dancing and being goofy.
Edited to add: Think of it this way – this outing will, at WORST, model one version of womanhood to the girls. They spend the entire rest of the year focused on other models
Who knew that the word “spa” could be so polarizing? Ignorance, sadly, fought.
I’m relieved it’s a princess party. I was more worried about something like this.
Ewwww!
Well, since multiple girl scout troops have done it, then it must be a goal of scouting, or something that addresses a goal of scouting. So, whipty doo your own shit. If it pisses you off that much, don’t buy any cookies next year. I’m sure they’ll really miss the 12 cents. Jesusfuck people, just enjoy the damn cookies.
Girl Scouts is about learning to become a well rounded person. You can say that this is a shallow activity but we all want to put our best outward self forward to differing degrees. Most people try to choose a flattering hairstyle and fit into whatever style they prefer.
I was the girl whose mom never did anything like this with me and I was teased and laughed at my whole childhood. I don’t know how much a different style would have helped but the trip would have given me at least the awareness that I could put whatever image I wanted to out for people to see. It could have given me some confidence that I was as attractive as everyone else. Sure, we should all ignore appearances but that’s not how the world is.
That’s what I remember most about girls scouts: that away from school I was accepted by other girls and included in even the things I wasn’t any good at.