Bunny joined the Brownies just before the Summer holidays and was really excited about making her Brownie promise in October.
I was a Brownie myself and am a little saddened that a lot of the old traditions have been lost. There was a lot more structure and formality when I went. We wore full uniform every meeting, we held registration in our sixes and we had to have a small bag with a set list of items in it, every week. For example, a 20p coin in case we needed a phone box, a piece of string in case something needed securing, a safety pin, a hairband, a plaster, etc. Badge ceremonies and promise ceremonies were formal events, where parents attended and we had to skip around the toadstool and re-enact the Brownie story before we made our promise. Badges were always collected from the toadstool, with a salute, whilst our parents watched on proudly. The leaders were named after owls, and the sixes after different types of fairy, so it all coincided with the Brownie story.
Nowadays, it seems nearly all of that has been lost. However, I still wanted to be a part of my daughter’s Brownie journey.
I can’t be a “parent helper” at Bunny’s school, because I have the twins during the day, but in the evening, I have the chance to take a more active role in her interests. And so… I became a Brownie parent helper, with the intention of doing the leadership course and becoming a Brownie leader.
This meant the Brownie pack had to come up with a name for me. The leaders at Bunny’s Brownies are all named after animals. There were some interesting suggestions, but Beaver (the leader) said the children should be considerate and pick a name I wouldn’t be embarrassed to be called in public. (I’m afraid I can’t help but wonder if she knows the slang for beaver?!). Anyway, I didn’t fancy being called rat, guinea pig, dog or cow, so I chose the suggestion of Bluebird.
I am now Bluebird.
Anyway, enough about me…
The day finally came around for Bunny to do her Brownie Promise. She was overexcited and under-rehearsed. Patience is not something that comes easily to Bunny, but her confidence comes in bucket loads. Despite never having rehearsed the steps or what to do with her partner prior to making her promise, she loudly declared she wanted to go first. This always makes me cringe as she doesn’t have the best habit of listening. She rushed through her promise, not entirely sure of what she was doing and made a few mistakes as she refused to watch the other girls first, but she still did it. She recited the promise, but forgot the law. Nevertheless, I was glad I got to witness it and I felt like a very proud Mummy. That was my first baby up there, becoming a fully fledged Brownie. It brought back all the happy memories from my own time at Brownies and I really hope that Bunny has as much fun as I did and takes her promise and the Brownie law as seriously as I did.
The Brownie promise has changed over time too. All references to God have been removed. I don’t really know how to feel about that. I know that in modern society we have to be inclusive, but it’ a shame to alter a tradition that has been around for so many decades.
For me, Brownies instils discipline and routine, as well as an easy outlet for socialising and making new friends. Brownies are meant to always be kind and think of others before themselves, so it’s not the sort of place you ever have to worry about bullying or your child not making friends. She started Brownies not long after turning 7 and she can stay until she is 11 if she chooses.
I’m really looking forward to Bunny receiving her badge book, so we can see which ones she fancies working towards.
Why wait for the badge book? http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/brownies/badges/index.asp
🙂
A lot of the traditions you mention are still there, but they are quite optional. Many brownie units still have a toadstool and Owl names for leaders but some have chosen to move away from it. Many feel that girls these days don’t want to skip around a toadstool and it just makes them targets of fun – but obviously opinions vary!
I hope you both have a wonderful time at Brownies 🙂
It’s really sad that people could think that. They are still little girls. They still play lots of games with skipping. Thanks for the link to the badge book, going to go have a look now – I didn’t realise it was online too! x
I loved Brownies and I hope Bunny does too. x
Rachel recently posted..What half-term taught me
Well doen to Bunny for making her promise. It’s really interestign to hear how much it has changed over the years as i remember doing all of the things you mentioned too, and I guess I am quite surprised they don’t do them anymore! Nice that you can help out and enjoy the experience with her Bluebird 🙂 xx #ssamazingachievements
Caroline (Becoming a SAHM) recently posted..Monkey’s Mini Milestones at 29 months
Hello there, o bless her sounds like she is getting on really well with it! I think it’s lovely, I was never a Brownie so am quite jealous! Hope she continues to enjoy it x #ssamazingachievements
Lystra Maisey recently posted..Chapter 51-1,000 Reasons Why
I remember being in the brownies & all those things you mentioned. I hope Bunny enjoys brownies as much as I did.
Well done to Bunny, doesn’t she look cute in her uniform. I was never in the Brownies but if I had been the coin for the phone wouldn’t have been a 2p rather than a 20p 🙂
Anne recently posted..Back to School Take Two
Nowadays it’d probably be £1. Or they’ll just teach them to reverse the charges!
That’s lovely! Well done to her – her confidence is something to be really proud of. The Brownies sounds fab. My daughter did Rainbows, but didn’t move on as her dancing was too time-consuming! Funnily enough, my hubby was moaning the other day about how Scouts don’t dress smart like they used to. They do still mention God in their promise though.
Well done to you on becoming a leader. I hope you really enjoy it. X
Sarah MumofThree World recently posted..Loud ‘n’ Proud – Distinction!
Oh that definitely is a #loudnproud moment! We didn’t have Brownies growing-up as a little girl where I come from. However, we did have girl-scouts, so I guess that’s our equivalent of a Brownie 🙂 And yes, I was a girl-scout too and loved it. Would love for my little girl to be a Brownie too when she’s old enough. It’s a great learning experience for kids, isn’t it 😉
Dean of Little Steps recently posted..My Little Gymnast
Aww, bless her. It must be so nice for you to see her doing the same things you used to do, even though many of the traditions have changed.
HelpfulMum recently posted..In the Night Garden Phone Review
Well done to Bunny on making her Brownie promise, my son joined Scouts last year and I was very proud when he made his. I loved the Brownies, I hope Bunny really enjoys it too x #loudnproud
Sara (@mumturnedmom) recently posted..First parent-teacher conference of Kindergarten
Brownies is such a lovely thing for a child to do. I was sad i didn’t get the opportunity as a child. your daughter has done so well, and i admire how you’ve got involved too #loudnproud
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A lovely moment, I remember doing my Brownie promise years (lol) ago and it was a big thing for me, I never did guides.
I think it’s great that it’s still around for those who want to do it, albeit having moved along with the times.
Thanks for linking up with #SSAmazingAchievements 🙂