We just returned from our Golden Gate Bridging weekend in San Francisco/Fairfax, CA! It was fun, but also educational to me about what my girls REALLY need more of. But, let’s start with…
The Good Stuff
We walked across the Golden Gate Bridge to celebrate our senior bridging to adult Girl Scouts, along with others who missed their ceremony during COVID. It was the first big bridging event since then, and even though we did a small, socially distanced version at a local park back in the day, I couldn’t pass up this experience.
We stayed at Camp Bothin, took a shuttle to the bridge Saturday morning, walked across as a troop, and spent the day at Crissy Field with crafts, music, and activities. Overall, it was a fantastic weekend…with a few bumps and a little serendipity along the way.
The Bumps
I’ll be honest: my troop has never been “perfect,” and a lot of that comes from my own laid-back leadership style. I’ve always focused more on kindness and letting the girls lead than on structure or tradition. That means we haven’t always done things like SWAPs or leaned into crafts the way many troops do. And at events like this, it shows.
Other troops had cute SWAPs. Ours didn’t. Other girls were excited about the craft stations. Mine weren’t. They tried a couple things, then checked out. The lines were too long. The food wasn’t right. The activities skewed younger. They weren’t interested in learning about travel troops, robotics, or history displays. They just seemed… disengaged.
Half of them wandered off to the Palace of Fine Arts. The other half sat at the beach. I walked around with another mom feeling like I hadn’t prepared them, or maybe hadn’t led them well enough over the years. I kept thinking about all the things I could have done differently, not just for this trip, but for our troop overall. Part of me wanted a do-over. A “better” troop. But more than that, I want these girls to see the opportunities they still have, rather than focusing on what they’re not getting.
That night back at camp, things shifted. We had a great dinner (thanks to one amazing mom), another leader got a fire going, and we shared s’mores. A few of us went on a short hike. It felt good.
Then a couple hours later, some girls came down complaining they were “bored” and wanted to go to the store for a game. We offered cards. No. Bananagrams. No. Phase 10. Still no. And not very politely. That’s where I stepped in. I told them they didn’t need a store. They needed to figure it out. I reminded them what it took to get them there and what they’d experienced that day. Maybe I lectured a little, but I meant it.
And then? They figured it out! Five of them played Phase 10 for almost two hours. One did henna on others. One worked on homework. Another went to bed early. They were engaged, relaxed, and, dare I say, content. That felt like a small win.
The Serendipity
On our way off the bridge, we stopped at a water station. One of the moms suddenly recognized a volunteer – “Virginia?” – and next thing you know, they’re hugging and crying. They hadn’t seen each other in years.
We got to talking, and it turns out Virginia runs a Bay Area troop and helps lead a Teens Take Over event in San Francisco this September. She invited our troop to come, stay, and help out.
And honestly? It couldn’t have come at a better time.
We’ve been trying to plan another trip, but funds are tight after this one and last year’s travel. This opportunity is low-cost (they’re covering lodging), in a city my girls love, and, best of all, I don’t have to plan it alone!
Win, win, win.
So, I’m back home now. Exhausted, but also accomplished. I may not have perfected troop leading at this point, but I’ve made it a lot further than most and we’re going to see it through to the end! I’ll take it and try to make changes while I still can to improve the lives of the girls I have in the troop!
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