Mom's Day is Every Day
Girl Scouts are strong, they are resilient, they are fun, they are leaders and they make the world a better place! What gives us those traits—of course, it is our moms who make us who we are today. We are a 112-year movement of strength, and we are a 112-year movement of moms, no doubt. There are a few one-offs like me, a gentleman in the movement, an ally for Girls and women, but the vast majority, probably 99%, are mothers supporting their daughters to grow to become women of courage. So this warm Mother’s Day, the Girl Scouts of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho uplift all mothers for what they bring to our world. There are so many things mothers give us that follow through to our Girl Scout movement.
First, moms know everything, right? Who came up with selling cookies? Oklahoma Girl Scout moms 100 years ago—and the rest is history...the foundation of the movement. Moms give unconditional love, and that love has translated into such an impactful and loving movement. Take a look at the hundreds and hundreds of bronze, silver, and gold projects our Girl Scouts accomplish annually. The projects have so much love attached to them. Moms are behind the scenes supporting so many of these love “take action” projects. Moms are teachers, always teaching us how to grow up to be good citizens, neighbors, and Girl Scouts. We are a movement of teaching, where our volunteers teach their troops and that is fully realized as we are a Girl-led movement where we expect our older Girls to teach the youngest Girls.
Moms always want us to put our best foot forward. They send us to school on picture days with a comb and always a packed lunch when we need it. They want us to succeed. That perfectly describes what troop leaders do for their troops. They want them to succeed. Moms expect us to be our best and hold us to a standard. A high standard. Juliette held this movement to a high standard, from uniform wear to supporting external causes. That continues 112 years later because moms, our thousands and thousands of volunteers, made it so. Moms are problem solvers, too—every day, they figure out in life how to put a round peg in a square hole. They have been doing that for Girl Scouts for decades, too. That is why we have flourished as a movement for Girls when many like organizations around us have withered. Our moms problem-solve for us. With all the inflationary pressures out there, moms/volunteers will need to figure out new ways going forward, but we all know our moms are up to it.
Lastly, moms are believers. They believe first and foremost in their kids, and that belief is ironclad. Juliette believed in the power of Girls to make the world a better place—that belief is likewise ironclad and survives today in our moms to believe in their Girls to do the impossible. So this Mother’s Day, against all the challenges in the world and opportunities that still exist, I am so thrilled that Girl Scouts is a movement of moms. Moms make the world a better place for all the reasons I suggest. But ultimately, moms are the best because they believe! And that belief will never dampen, and that is ultimately why Girl Scouts will always achieve—because Mom’s Day is every day in Girl Scouts!
May 10, 2024
