Bridging Day

 I got this pic from a good friend this weekend. This brings back some strong memories of raising my girl. From a young age, she was a stubborn one. She knew what she liked and what she didn’t and Girl Scouts was just one of those things she didn’t like. There was no particular reason, she just didn’t want to bother. The girls were great and the leader was awesome but that didn’t matter.

The day this was taken was Bridge day when girls go from being a Brownie to becoming a Girl Scout after they walk over a bridge. She had worn me down and we knew this would be her last event in this club – our little secret. Prior to the big walk while in this waiting area, she kept trying to get my attention to wink at me. I couldn’t help but giggle. We were in cahoots on a silent revolt.

As it was about to begin, I took my place with all of the other parents from the two troops gathered for the big event. One by one over the long bridge came each girl, stopping at the end for pictures and applause (do I remember some flowers??).

Hannah’s turn. She walks quickly over the bridge and stops at the bottom like all the other girls. Does she smile for a picture? No, she promptly grabs her sash off her body and dumps it into the awaiting trash can in full view of the crowd.  I must admit, even though I was totally horrified that I was obviously a parent of a non-conformist child, I did get a little kick out of it. I retrieved the sash from the can but she refused to wear it for group photos. She reminded me that a deal was a deal.

Through the years, she taught me a lot with this behavior. You’ve gotta be you. As a parent, I wanted her to be like everyone else’s kid but she didn’t always comply. She knew all along what she was doing. It took some time but now I couldn’t be happier.

Pictured: Hannah in blue between winks