Some people volunteer for fun. Others volunteer because they have no sense of self-preservation. I fall squarely into the latter category.
For the last 10 years, I’ve been a Scoutmaster for Troop & Pack 850. And for over 22 years, I’ve been a Girl Scout troop leader. That’s more than three decades of cutting, gluing, bribing with cookies, camping in the rain, snow, and tornadoes (not joking), and praying to survive meeting nights. And for all of it… I am unpaid. Yes, that’s right — my bank account does not recognize “Scout Leader” as income. It just calls it “charitable donations from sanity.” My sanity? Well… let’s just say it’s highly questionable.
The Parents, Oh the Parents
Parents are a fascinating species. They sign their kids up and expect miracles, maybe a little free babysitting on the side. Somehow, they think their kids will leave every meeting polite, grateful, and smelling faintly of peppermint. And when they don’t? Well, we just smile. Smile through the glitter glue in our hair, sticky handprints on our pants, and the new anger wrinkles forming on my forehead.
Some children are… let’s call it challenging. I’ve had kids who hit, lick, curse, and invent entirely new forms of chaos just to see if I’d survive. And you smile, nod, and thank God every single day that your own kids are mostly normal, respectful, and capable of using indoor voices… and partial manners. Because if they weren’t? Well… let’s just say someone’s face might get murdered later. (Just kidding… mostly.)
The “You Can’t Quit” Rule
Here’s the kicker: after years of glue gun burns, glitter explosions, and sugar-fueled chaos, some parents will say:
“Oh, you can’t stop now. My kid is in your troop. It’s… illegal. I think.”
Yes. Illegal. Because apparently volunteering is mandatory if a child exists, and the fine is your eternal guilt.
I laugh. I remind them: I’m a volunteer. Unpaid, unpromoted, unafraid to question my life choices. And while I may think about quitting, you can’t really quit scouting. No, you get dragged into a new role, even more tired, even less thanked, and somehow still smiling.
Stories from the Trenches
- There was the time the troop bought raffle tickets… to pie the scoutmaster in the face. Tiny, sugar-fueled projectiles. Joy for them. Whipped cream in my hair… still years later.
- The infamous camping trip: one kid threw a rock through their tent, one puked spaghetti all over the troop tent, one… might have pooped in the tent, while another tried to eat a full bowl of pickles and tomatoes and puked all night. (Yes. It was a very eventful weekend.)
- Ceremonies are a whole other disaster. Kids sing off-key, forget skits they wrote and signed up for, improvise wildly, and parents… don’t notice, don’t track events, and somehow always miss their child’s big moments.
Meanwhile, the endless meetings, the complaints, the expectations — “Plan a funner trip! Provide transportation! Do it faster! Do it better!” — remind me that Scout parents are a whole other species in the ecosystem of extracurriculars. And again… I remain unpaid.
Sacred Truths of Volunteering
Through all the chaos, I’ve learned a few things:
- Glitter is eternal. You will never be rid of it. Ever.
- You can’t please every parent. So stop trying.
- Volunteering builds patience you didn’t know existed. And occasionally murderous glares. (Kidding… mostly.)
And every once in a while, a kid touches your heart:
- One told me I was like a second mom.
- One credited their Eagle Award to me.
- Some just make you laugh so hard you almost forget you were thinking about murdering someone with a fire starter and knot rope earlier that day.
The Chaos & the Grace
Despite all the forms, the snacks on the floor, and the saint-expectations from parents, there is grace. Watching a kid finally earn a badge, seeing their grin when they tie a bowline finally, or knowing you helped them learn teamwork and kindness… it’s worth it.
You laugh at the glitter. You cry when a troop favorite moves away. You silently thank the universe that your own kids aren’t in the “hand-lickers” club. (Yes. That’s a real thing.)
Volunteering is ridiculous. Exhausting. Often thankless. But it’s also hilarious, heartwarming, chaotic work.
So yes. I’ve been a volunteer for 32 years. Unpaid. Underappreciated. And still smiling — mostly because if I stopped, I’d probably start crying, and then glitter would get everywhere.
#UnpaidAndUnstoppable #GlitterSurvivor #ScoutLife #ScoutParentProblems #CookiesAndChaos #GlueGunWarrior #VolunteeringWithGrace