DEAR DANA
DEAR DANA
Dear Dana is a regular, interactive feature in Vancouver Family Magazine. Each month, professional mediator Dana Greyson tackles tough questions with insightful advice and suggestions.
Dear Dana, I’m a sucker for Girl Scout cookies as much as the next gal and am all for a good cause and supporting our daughter. The problem? My husband’s testosterone kicks in whenever there’s a competitive angle. He becomes an aggressive cookie-pusher to anyone with a pulse. He pushes just as hard getting the bidding wars going on our son’s 4-H Program projects, selling band entertainment books…Yes, our “kids” score top sales, or, rather, their dad does. I don’t wanna be the bad gal here, but somehow this leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Is there any --Escape from the Cookie Monster? Dear ECM, Cookie Alert! Expect a greater likelihood of close cookie encounters as the Girl Scout organization is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year with a 2.012 million-box goal for 2012 and local orders for our area beginning in January. Despite, or maybe because of that, as the cookie crumbles, the national Girl Scout website is a great resource and provides a clear distinction between helping and taking over: “Although parents and Girl Scout adults may assist girls, it is the girl who closes the sale, sets learning and sales goals, and learns the entrepreneurial skills that are part of the program.”
For more detail see “How Parents/Guardians Can Help Their Girl Scout” guide put together by local Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington, Inc. Director of Communications, Sarah Miller, in consultation with Girl Scouts USA and the area Girl Scout cookie product manager. The following tips on how parents can help are provided by Girl Scouts, but can apply to any school or extracurricular fundraising efforts: 1. Ask questions. Ask about your child’s goals and the goals of her troop/group. Why is she selling cookies? Does she have a sales pitch? Who will she sell to? Help her find her own answers to these questions. 2. Listen. Listen carefully to her responses to your questions. Show her you are interested and support her goals. 3. Never do things for a child that she can do for herself. The activity of selling gives girls opportunities to gain courage, confidence and so much more--opportunities they only have if they are the ones doing the selling. While it is important for adults to encourage and support girls toward their goals, it is also important to remember that they learn as much through not succeeding as they do through success. 4. Talk to her about what she learned each day. Did she try something new that day? Did she grow her confidence? Did she make progress toward her goal? What didn’t go well and what are her ideas for improving? 5. Have fun with her! Celebrate small successes and big goals with her. Show her that hard work can also be fun. continued on page 10
The activity of selling gives girls opportunities to gain courage, confidence, and so much more—opportunities they only have if they are the ones doing the selling. 8
Vancouver Family Magazine • www.vancouverfamilymagazine.com • January 2012