From the Hip

by Family_Moms

Real moms take on real issues

From the Hip

Real moms take on real issues

Back to Blog Main Page

Hey Girl Scout, The Answer is No

Posted February 11, 2010
5  | 
I found this helpful Thank You! Your vote will be tallied soon!

Posted Thursday February 11, 2010 by Jackie Morgan MacDougall

It's that time of year again. By now, you've probably had a Girl Scout, Brownie or Daisy pounding on your door, hawking her fat-laden, sugar-filled, diet-killing, over-priced guilty pleasures. You may or may not have given in to temptation, buying a box of Thin Mints or those delicious Samoas from the tiny neighborhood stranger.

But what happens when the cookie pusher is actually their overachieving mom and happens to be your good friend? Are you obligated to buy in order to save the friendship?

My kids are still pretty small and haven't had the pleasure of fundraising much at this point. But as we enter into the years of raffle tickets and wrapping paper, I'm discovering there's an expectation that we purchase the unnecessary items from each other's kids and if we don't follow rules, we could be setting ourselves up for the wrath of a fellow mom.

When I asked around whether it was OK to forego a fundraiser for a friend's kid, Ellen, a mom of four, said "Don't buy if you don't want to and don't feel guilty." But she and Ramona, who admitted that if the request is not in person, she ignore it until it expires, were the only two who didn't swear by always grabbing the checkbook when friends' kids are selling.

One of these days it will your kid. Buy. - Liz, mom of two boys

Buy period. It's part of the mom handbook. -- Naila, mom of a teen and infant.

I always buy. Especially in high school when your child joins a team or club, it is REQUIRED for them to sell a certain amount. Basically, you the parent puts up the initial money and you sell in order to get your money back. I say "you" because you end up being the one actually selling the stuff for your kid.
- Melissa, mom of three

I always buy something-- even if it's just a little. But I've been known to buy 12 boxes of Girl Scout cookies from the neighbor kid too! - Cheri, mom of two teens

I usually buy unless my kiddos are selling the same stuff then I buy from my kids only. This year we purchased one box of Girl Scout cookies from every friend we knew who had a daughter selling. - Christine, mom of two

I always buy, that way those people buy from my kids when they are asking. Unless my kids are selling the same thing. - Sandi, mom of three

BUY BUY BUY...it's the right thing to do. What if the roles were reversed and it was your kid? Think about how the child feels when they hear...no!
- Michelle, mom of two

Now I understand where the ladies are coming from but frankly, we have no idea the financial stability of our friends these days. With the economy in the toilet and neighbors just trying to hold onto their homes with no cash for the extras like date night and kid activities, I think children need to learn at a young age that while some of us support their latest project, not everyone has money lying around for magazine subscriptions or overpriced squares of wrapping paper. If we, as parents, don't teach our children that the word "no" isn't an insult but sometimes a necessity, we're doing our kids a huge disservice. And at the very least, while I can appreciate the excitement and drive in a miniature salesperson, sometimes they're just going to have to learn that the world doesn't dig into their pockets just because they're peddling the latest cookie flavors.

That being said, I just wrote a check for three boxes of Do-Si-Dos. I talk a mean game but in the end, I'm just another mom sucker.

Jackie Morgan MacDougall, on the never-ending quest for balance, enjoys life in Los Angeles with her husband, Jeff, and their three small kids. Read more of her take on parenting, kids and everything else on The Silver Whining.

Related Articles on Family.com:

Should Girl Scouts Sell Cookies Online?

Kids and Online Shopping



Member Comments On...

Hey Girl Scout, The Answer is No

Back to Main Blog Page
300x250
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
300x250
728x90
Please log in ...
Close
You must be logged in to use this feature.
Become a member

Thank You!

Thank you for helping us maintain a friendly, high quality community at Family.com. This comment will be reviewed by a community moderator.

Flag as Not Acceptable?

We review flagged content and enforce our Terms of Use, in which content must never be:

  • Profane or sexually explicit
  • Disrespectful or abusive
  • Infringing of copyright
See full Terms of Use.