Why Can't Boy Scouts Be For Girls?

My girls have frequently lamented the fact that there is no program like Boy Scouts for girls.  There are

softer versions (Girl Scouts), but nothing hard core.  Nothing that requires the demands of earning merit badges, no "one match" fires to build, no camps without showers, and no Eagle ranks to be achieved.  While I'm definitely not one of those crazy people who want the Boy Scouts to change their core values, or who feels that men-only tournaments and clubs should be open to women, I wish there was a twin sister organization for the Boy Scouts.  Boys Scouts, but with girls.

This week is "Girls' Camp", sponsored by our church.  While the girls are having fun socially, they are definitely missing the experiences that they know their brothers and dad had.  Here's an excerpt from a letter I wrote to Mark today, explaining the situation:

So, crazy story (why else would I be writing?)  The girls headed to camp on Wednesday morning (after finishing their last day of school on Tuesday—no rest for the weary, eh, nor day to sleep in….).  It was so nice, because Johannah was driving both Glo and her to camp, so they just threw everything they needed in the Element.  They didn’t have to think about packing well, or efficiently.  Thankfully, I had told them to line all of their bags with trash bags (more about that in a moment).

They arrived at camp and had a great day.  That night, as Daddy and I were going to sleep, I could see flashes of light outside our bedroom window.  I thought it was the neighbors who live higher on the hill—their cars frequently shine their lights in our windows.  Anyway, turned out it was lightning.

By three a.m., we thought the house was going to be torn down.  The system is called “DERECHO”, and it’s a long line of thunderstorms that increases in size and strength as it moves east.  Thunder like we’ve never heard, lightning, and SHEETS of rain.

Well, as it turned out, the only day that Amy could have a lesson with Glo (after touring with the orchestra for three weeks in China) was on Thursday.  This was the main reason that Hannah had driven the two of them—so she could drive back home Thursday morning and we could head to Philly.  Seriously, Mark, I wasn’t sure she could actually make it home in the storm.  Shoot, she and Glo weren’t even sure they could get to the CAR from their tents!

Thankfully, they did, and we drove for four solid hours in the rain to Philly.  While Glo hadn’t originally wanted to leave camp for a lesson, you better believe after a night of no sleep and torrential rain, she was more than happy to pop in at home, take a hot shower, change out of wet clothes, and take a four-hour nap in the car!

Well, I don’t know if it was the fact that the girls got to leave camp, but we got an email from the young women's president that all of the SC1 girls were going to sleep at her home for the remaining nights.  In other words, they were turning girls’ camp into a day camp experience.  While I understand why they did this (everything they owned was soaked), we Kennedys didn’t think this was a good idea.  After all, how many scout camps did you attend where it rained the entire week?  Did you get to go home to your warm bed at night?  No way, no how!  The girls looked at it as just another time where the girls don’t have to be as tough as the boys, and they didn’t think that was cool at all.

So, they made an executive decision (complete with Daddy’s approval), that they would go back to camp for the nights.  There were no tents for them to use (they were either flooded, or taken home), so they were going to sleep in the Element.  They didn’t think it was fair that all of the other girls were still camping (because they don’t live close enough to go home at night), and they wanted to still be part of the whole experience.

Good for them, eh?  I’m sure you can imagine what the other units (as well as the stake leaders) are saying about SC1, leaving each night while the other girls in the stake tough it out….

So, they drove back last night (after getting home from Philly), and they were told that they couldn’t’ stay because they didn’t have a leader staying with them!  Boy, they were pretty upset when they drove home…yet again.

So, this morning, they showered, and headed out early enough to get there for breakfast.  They really like the girls in the stake, and they are actually having a great time, so I’m proud of them for still trying to embrace the camp spirit.

And Hannah is a YCL this year (Youth Camp Leader).  I guess she’s done a great job, rallying her girls with HOBY cheers (OOOOOOOUTSTANDING!!) although she's had to work with some girls who really, REALLY don't want to be there.

They will be home tonight for good (since SC1 isn’t returning in the morning since they don’t have any responsibilities—so much for camp spirit, eh?).