It’s that time of year again. Time to dig deep for Samoas, Thin Mints and Daisy Go Rounds.
Girl Scout troops around the country just kicked off their cookie-selling season, and if you are a parent of a badge-obsessed scout, then you are likely doing your part to ring up sales by toting order forms into your office and forcing cookies upon co-workers.
It’s the American way, right? You buy something from my kid and I return the favor, be it cookies, candy, wrapping paper or handmade fundraising ornaments.
My daughter toyed with joining Daisy Scouts this year, but opted out at the last minute.
Frankly, I couldn’t be happier.
For as creative and enthusiastic as my daughter is when it comes to imaginative play, she is no Donald Trump. She’d rather stand on a corner giving away cookies than go door-to-door asking strangers to pay her for them.
I don’t blame the kid.
I greatly detest having to ask friends and barely acquaintances to begrudgingly order random fundraising items for the sake of my child’s self esteem. What’s more, I really don’t care for pushy parents, who take it upon themselves to sell their kids’ loot at their place of employment, by harnessing the power of parental guilt to drum up sales.
For the record, the Girl Scouts’ website clearly states that selling cookies is not mandatory for its members. The group goes on to say that “most girls in girl scouting thoroughly enjoy this activity and look forward to it each year.”
No word on whether the parents of said Girl Scouts feel the same way. Though, according to studies, most Girl Scouts are daughters of former Girl Scouts, so perhaps, cookie-selling is in their blood.
Do you feel obligated to purchase fundraising items from your co-workers’ kids? Do you feel bad asking others to buy fundraising products from your kid?
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