Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Thin Mints, Samoas and My Little Girl

Last year at this time, I was running around 30 miles a week.  So when I ate an entire sleeve of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies for dinner one night, I didn't really think much of it.  I was running 10 miles the next day, I figured around mile 6 the internal evidence would be gone.

But this year, I'm lucky if I get in 3 miles a week -- walking.  So I didn't eat the entire sleeve this time.  Just a couple.  It was also fun to share with my kidlets. I didn't really take a breath during my cookie feast last year, let alone SHARE.  Although it is no coincidence that I opened the Thin Mints and not the Samoas.  Those are mine.  All mine.  My little girl always ends up wearing her favorite foods.  She loved these cookies.  So by the time she was done, she had Thin Mint crumbs on the tip of her nose and was wearing a dark, cookie lipstick.

I do believe this is an inherited trait.  Her momma loves sweet and savory foods. I remember making s'mores with my family once when I was little.  Two things stand out about that night.

1) how delicious the s'mores were.
2) my dad asking me if I actually got any in my mouth.

So yeah.  Sorry darling.  At least we enjoy our food with intent, right?  Drinking full from that cup of life?  Something like that.

I also got excited to put my little cookie muncher in Girl Scouts someday.  The neighbor girl that sold us our boxes was so proud that she had sold over 1000 (whaaaaa?) boxes.  Really.  Despite this entire post being about the cookies, I think there are great things about Girl Scouts besides the annual feeding of America's cookie obsession -- leadership, confidence and an added emphasis that math and science are actually fun subjects.

There are too many ridiculous images and stereotypes the media puts out there about girls and what they should aspire to.  Like runway models, pop stars, boobs and hair, swimsuit season, gold diggers, reality stars, the list is long and disgusting.

So any other external validation that I can give my daughter that what she does with her mind and heart will always be more powerful than what she does with her hair and clothes will be on my list of things to do together.


Even if it means selling delicious cookies.

*******************************************************


Here are a couple of articles that I'm filing away in my "teach my daughter good things" file:

How To Talk to Little Girls by Lisa Bloom
A Return to Virtue by Elaine S. Dalton



Not that I have a lot of comments from men, but if you are, and have a desire to write anything to the effect of "you go girl," "girl power," "no she di-int," don't.  Unless you want a follow up post on how that exact attitude perpetuates the cycle of the wrong kind of stereotypes and messages we are giving our girls. 

Phew!  That felt good.

The end.

Really.



11 comments:

Shauna said...

Your Sunny will always be shining:)

Mike/Margaret said...

Tell Sunshine that her Grandpa's favorite Girl Scout cookie is the Thin Mints. He will be glad to buy some (he's good for about 10 boxes) from her in a couple of years.

michelle grange said...

lisa blooms article is so good! it's definitely a challenge to talk to girls without bringing up their appearance. i also really enjoyed her book "think: keeping women smart in a dumbed down world."

michael. mindy. dane. said...

well i have done zero miles this week and dane and i almost finished off a sleeve of thin mints last night so....where does that leave me??

ironic that her face is perfectly clean in this picture, no? that is not supposed to sound snotty, but i feel like it does. i'm being honest. i expected a cookie-covered face in the picture.

but the clean one is just as cute :)

MrsD said...

How about an amen?

MrsD said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
MrsD said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

OMG, that "How you Talk to Little Girls" article - one of my all time favorites. I still reference it in conversations with my friends (I'm the preachy one, so it's OK). If only I knew a girl under the age of 30. I'm about to thought!!! (niece's)

Anonymous said...

Doh! I can't see how to edit my comment's many errors. FAIL!

kara said...

@macndos, If I ever see you again in person, you can practice your Lisa Bloom skills on my little peanut! Preach sister! Preach!

kara said...

@michelle grange, I need to put that book in my rotation!