Confidence

As I mentioned when we visited the Indian Caverns, part of the goal of Girl Scouts is to improve confidence in girls, to help them to try things they would not have otherwise tried and then experience success. This week we took our first grade girls to the rock wall at the rec center. We asked them ahead of time if they would like to try it. A few girls were hesitant, but when we took a "secret ballot," they voted unanimously  "yes."

I was so proud of all the girls!! They all climbed. They all improved. By the end, none of them were scared. They were all proud of their accomplishment and having a good time. They cheered for each other, encouraged one another. And several of the girls asked their parents as they left, "Can we come back tomorrow, pleeeeeaassseeee????"

Actually, the girl who climbed the highest of all of them? She was one of the hesitant ones, and her mom said that right up to the minute before they arrived, she wasn't sure that she was going to try. So it's a good feeling to be a part of something like that.

I was proud of Katy, too, but for a different reason. She had been to the wall before, and although she has many fears and anxieties, climbing isn't one of them. However, she's so very competitive. And I was completely shocked that she wasn't a bucket of tears that she didn't climb the highest. She never once mentioned trying to do better than another girl, and she cheered for her friends and tried to improve on her own height each time. Progress!!



Katy is in the black pants. Don't they look so tiny up on that wall?