Helping your girl scout help others

When I was a Girl Scout, I learned ... that I love Thin Mints! Sure, everyone has their favorite type of Girl Scout cookie, but in my opinion, there's no contest. Grabbing a few Thin Mints from the freezer paired with a tall glass of milk is the perfect desert.

But really, after the hustle and bustle of cookie selling season, there's much more to being a Girl Scout than Thin Mints, Tagalongs, and Dosidos. Young ladies build character and skills for success in the real world when they're a scout. Troop leaders teach about leadership, self-worth and social conscience. In Oklahoma, there's a group of girl scouts who are learning about breast cancer, and what it means to be empathetic. They're also learning about giving.

Don't you, as a parent, want to teach your daughter these things? You can do that here in Oklahoma! Here are a few tips for parenting a Girl Scout:

 Your Time, Your Life

Your calendar is full. Your to-do list is jam-packed. You want to help out, but it's almost impossible to find the time. Don't panic. You don't have to give up your life to support your girl.

Because there are only so many hours in a day, girls, along with their parents and guardians, have to balance many growing and diverging interests, commitments, and responsibilities in a world of PDAs and PTAs. You'll be surprised at how flexible Girl Scouting is today. You can choose how little or how much time and energy you can give-an hour, a day, or maybe just a "thank you" to your Girl Scout's troop or group leader.

Customize Your Role

From being the "head cheerleader" who encourages and supports her daughter in Girl Scouting, to accompanying the girls on a field trip to a local museum, to helping raise the funds and traveling with a group to a Girl Scout World Center in India, you can use your skills and explore your interests. Here are a few of the many ways you can support your Girl Scout:

• Suggest a fun day trip
• Set up a phone tree
• Coordinate transportation for an outing
• Be a guest speaker
• Teach girls a new skill
• Design a troop photo album or Web site
• Join girls on a field trip
• Learn first aid at a Girl Scout council sponsored training session so that you can support girls on their outings
• Become an advocate in your community for Girl Scouting
• Tell your girl you're proud of her

If you'd like to know more about Girl Scouts, continue reading at www.girlscouts.org.