There has been more than one occasion in which I have been asked why my daughters are in boy scouts instead of girl scouts. So here it is…there are actually probably more than one reason. But probably the best answer is simple. A few years ago the opportunity was there and simply more available than entering Girl Scouts at the time. Putting my two youngest daughters in Cub Scouts was one of my best decisions not just for them. But for me as well. For those who are new to this Cub Scouts is the Boy Scouts organization that children enter at the elementary school level. And then in the middle of 5th grade a cub scout crosses over to become a Scout.
When my daughters joined this organization a few years ago, I never imagined how much it would change our lives. And for the better. Although I am just a Scout Parent even I have received plenty of benefits. We get lots of exercise through things like nature hikes. And the kids play fun games while learning everyday life skills. As well as survival and outdoor adventure skills.
But “girls” in Boy Scouts?
Cub Scouts is and always has been very family oriented. Mothers have been taking their sons to these events since it’s beginning. And sisters have often also tagged along. Until just a few years ago girls would be able to participate in many cub scout activities that they were at with their brothers. But they couldn’t participate in everything and even in the things they could participate they were Not allowed to actually officially join the program. Thankfully, in 2018 that changed and Boys Scouts of America allowed girls to join cub scouts.
Before 2018 even on camping adventures sometimes mothers had to go along with their sons. Sometimes a mother was better able to attend such camps instead of the boys’ dads. Sometimes the cub scouts also have whole family campouts. So yes boys and their dads can go. But with cub scouts certain camp outs allowed the moms and sisters to attend. And for the most part everything that a cub scout could do, there sisters would do to. Eventually, some of the sisters started asking “why I can’t I earn the same badges my bother is earning?”
Two Very Different Programs
To be clear, I have absolutely nothing against the girl scouts. And I admit I don’t know a ton about the organization as a whole. My youngest daughter had even tried to join a girl scouts group a year prior to getting into cub Scouts. Maybe the timing wasn’t’ right. But I feel like with our local “scout” groups I didn’t know it at the time, but I believe God knew our family would fit in doing Boy Scouts better than girl scouts locally where we are at right now.
All of my daughters have vary diverse interests. And as I said I don’t know everything that girls learn in Girl Scouts; however, when my daughter first applied it seemed to me that a lot of the activities my daughter was given to do were online. To be fair, we were still dealing with the Pandemic when I tried to sign her up for Girl Scouts. So that may be the reason. But basically at that time I didn’t know exactly where the local girl scout group and leaders were and it just didn’t work for us to get her fully involved at that time. Plus I knew my daughter needed to have adventures in nature and the outdoors. I am sure girl scouts do some of that. But around here I hear more about Nature Hikes, camping, fishing, ect. from people involved with Boys Scouts more than I hear about it from Girl scouts. So I have been doing some research and have found that there are more differences in the two programs than I realized
I Didn’t Understand Why the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts Couldn’t Combine
I have always been by nature pretty egalitarian. And I am not afraid to admit that I am not, and really never have been a fan of “gender roles.” So it has taken me some time to research and get educated about the differences between Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. From the research I found although there are some similarities there also some key differences. Girl Scouts was founded to help girls learn things like leadership and business skills in what many still believe of as “a man’s world.” From my understanding, there is emphasis on leadership development and in ways to provide positive and creative community services.
But as my daughters are in Scouts BSA (also known as Boy Scouts of America) I know more about Boy Scouts. Anyway, although the Boy Scouts do believe in team work and community service the emphasis is more on individual development.
Benefits of My Daughters being in Scouts BSA
So here just a few of the things my daughters have learned since joining Scouts BSA….
- About Nature and Conservation
- Respect for Nature and the outdoors
- opportunities to enjoy various natural outdoor settings
- Safety skills and practices including but not limited to not only starting fires but knowing how to safely be sure they put out when leaving the site.
- Survival skills
- STEM projects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
- How to tie multiple types of knots and their purposes
- Opportunities to learn about careers that kids often are not taught about in school and their importance
- Forensics
- Construction Careers
- Geology Careers
- Park Rangers, Game Fish and Parks officers, ect.
And what I have talked about here really only scratches the surface. Nothing can replace the experiences we have in scouts.
So Why are My Daughters in Boy Scouts?
To have fun, of course. But also to get adventures and experiences that they wouldn’t get otherwise! And they are learning all kinds of awesome skills. Many that I was unable to teach them before. I am very proud of all of my daughters’ accomplishments, many of which were achieved through Scouts.
