Time Spent with Girls

It was a girls' weekend. Really, it was a Girl Scout weekend. Due to snow storms and sickness, we've not had a Girl Scout meeting in two months. In February, we are making up for lost time. In the next few weeks, we'll have had three special events.

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Saturday, I took the girls to a play on Bullying at our Children's Theater. The play was advertised as for the "10 and up" crowd and they weren't kidding. Knowing that the subject matter was on bullying, I thought it was perfect for our girls since they've just entered the junior high years.

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Girls bully too. In fact if you listen to my husband, he thinks girls are even "meaner" than boys and their feuds last longer and are more personal and destructive. Boys just hit each other, girls use their words.

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The "Misfits" dealt with all kinds of bullying and name calling, but focused a lot on the "labels" we give each other. My only qualm about the play was that it went into the issue of sexual orientation a little more than I was expecting for the pre-teen crowd. One character was "gay" and was interested in another character. While I do not in any way condone picking on someone who lives this lifestyle, I'm not sure that 10 year old girls are ready to watch a play about a boy "liking" another guy in that way.

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After the play, we headed to a cupcake shop for some girl talk. While at first the girls said that bullying is not something they have dealt with or think happens at their school, once they got a little sugar in them and relaxed a little they really shared. We made a pledge to each other not to bully and to be the person who steps in when others are bullied. Each girl promised to tell an adult if they see it happening or experience it themselves.

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We decided that a lot of the bullying happens when girls/boys who are not happy at home or going through a lot of junk and take it out on others. I really like these girls. They are mature and caring, but know how to giggle and have fun too!

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Then to add to the fun, Monday, after school, our troop headed to Hobby Lobby to pick out fabric to make Photo Bulletin Boards. Watching seven girls try to find the perfect colors, designs and style is a lesson in patience.

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When we get together over President's Day weekend and create our masterpieces, it will be a whole different lesson. Hope I catch the craft bug by then!