Bonding through Girl Scouts: a story of mothers and daughters

At Girl Scouts, we know a thing or two about forming strong bonds and creating lasting relationships. The friendships between Scouts created while in Girl Scouts are lifelong, but nothing can beat the bond between a girl and her troop leader — especially when they’re already mother and daughter!

Volunteering to be a troop leader is a big commitment, but also incredibly rewarding. When a mom and daughter pair up to be a troop leader and Girl Scout, the benefits multiply as memories are made. 

Meet Jeannie, mother to Kimberly and Leah, both former Girl Scouts. 

“I put my daughters in Girl Scouts so they could experience all of the great things the program has to offer,” Jeannie said. “I decided to become their troop leader because I wanted to be involved in their lives, and it was a great way to bond with my daughters.”

In the late 90s and early 2000s, Kimberly participated in Girl Scouts with her Mom, Jeannie, as troop leader. Later, her sister, Leah, followed in her footsteps and was also a Girl Scout. When Leah joined, Jeannie began leading her troop.

“Some of my fondest memories growing up come from my time in Girl Scouts with my mom,” Leah said. “I loved getting to have her as my troop leader.”

Girl Scouts has left Leah and Kimberly with many memories — from weekend camping trips, to cleaning out the garage with her family every December to get ready for cookies in January, to evenings full of crafting and learning at Twilight Camp.

“I have a lot of great memories from my time with my daughters in Girl Scouts,” Jeannie said. “My favorite memories, though, are from working on Bronze, Silver and Gold Award projects with both my daughters. I enjoyed getting to instill in my daughters the importance of giving back, and those projects did that.”

Now, Kimberly has been a troop leader for her own Girl Scout troop and hopes to start another troop with her own daughter when she’s older. 

“Looking back after having been a troop leader myself, it can be a big time commitment, and I see that it was an important enough thing for our Mom to do that she was willing to put in the work with us,” Kimberly said. “She even continued to help me with Girl Scouts even when I had my own troop.”

Kimberly has her own daughter now, and is excited to watch her make her own Girl Scout experiences and memories when she is old enough. She knows firsthand the impact Girl Scouts had on her, and how much more special those memories are because her mother is in them.

“Having my Mom around as my troop leader gave us more time to spend together,” Leah said. “I remember getting lots of one-on-one time with my Mom working on Girl Scout projects, and even just the drives to troop meetings. As the youngest of four children, this time with my mom definitely stands out to me.” 

Kimberly and Leah both spoke about how lucky they were to get to have their mother leading their troop and coming up with fun crafts and activities.

“My mom is such a creative person,” Leah said. “I might not have noticed it back then, but she was the perfect person to be a troop leader. She had the best projects, crafts, activities and all sorts of ideas for my troop.”

Mothers and daughters both get something from Girl Scouts. Those volunteering get to watch their daughters grow, while daughters see their mother in an important role, all while having fun and learning.

“I really enjoyed getting to see my daughters interact with and spend time with their friends, the other troop members,” Jeannie said.

The bonds and memories created in Girl Scouts extend beyond the time spent in a troop.

“As a troop leader, my mom wasn’t just doing something for her daughters, but also, so many other girls, who looked to her as a role model in their lives,” Kimberly said.

Are you ready to be a troop leader for your daughter’s troop? Sign up today at gswestok.org/volunteer.