The Troublemaker

Somehow I manage to make waves even when that isn't my intention. Or maybe I'm making too much of a situation. Hopefully all will work out OK in the end and my suggestion will end up making it all easier, like I thought it would.

The Brownie troop leader was trying to set up a carpool after school to take the girls to their meetings. All the girls. All 16 seven- and eight-year old girls. After school. Where there is ongoing construction and chaos at dismissal time. These girls would be rounded up by one or two moms who would then walk them all the way down the street (can't park in the lot because of the construction and busses) to a minimum of five different cars. That just doesn't sound like a very good plan to me, so I suggested that Booie just be allowed to walk home like usual, and I would drive her down to the meeting myself. Another girl lives nearby and Booie walks to and from school with her. I suggested she also walk home as well as another girl that passes our houses to go home. That would be three less girls to worry about herding after school. Seems like a good plan to me.

Though hesitant, the leader agreed that would work. I think I threw her a curve ball by not just agreeing to the original plan. I explained that without our girls, they wouldn't have to worry about permission slips to allow the kids to be picked up by someone else. There wouldn't be as many girls to worry about in the crowd after school, which would make walking them to cars down a busy street much less stressful. The leader suggested I call the other two moms and let her know if they were going to do it the way I said. I knew one of them would. We talked about it before, but I called her anyway.

She was so relieved to hear I brought it up with the leader. She talked to the leader earlier and was making phone calls to other moms to see if any of them would be willing to drive for the carpool. She said all of them just wanted to take their own girls to the meeting. One said she was doing it no matter what. So my plan was well-received. I called the leader back to let her know, and the other mom called her back to tell her that these other moms wanted to do it that way too.

No one wants to see something they thought was a good, workable plan fall by the wayside, and some people need to let a change settle in before they realize that it is for the best. I think this is probably one of those situations. I wasn't looking to make trouble at all. I just thought this would be a better way to handle things, considering the circumstances. The after school situation is a real mess. I know the leader had concerns about all the girls arriving to the meeting on time. She is a very prompt person. She also feels the need to start over when someone arrives late, causing the meeting to go later than planned. I know she doesn't want to leave anyone behind, which is nice, but there are usually times a girl can catch up later, or she can do things at home. It's not the leader's fault if someone is late. She just has to plow ahead. I know I can be to the meeting in plenty of time, as can the other two moms that would carpool with me.

The leader said there were still eight girls that needed rides after school. I am hoping alternate plans can be made. Though arranging a ride is a nice gesture, it certainly isn't something people should expect of a leader. I know any one of us who can, will pick up another girl if needed. I think we can get through this, accommodate the working mothers, and not have to do a massive, complicated carpool. I still like the idea of evening meetings, but that doesn't go over well in a school where even the PTA meetings are held in the morning during school (and work) hours. There are so many stay at home moms that everything revolves around that. I'm not trying to continue it. I'm trying to make things simpler for all involved.

It still amazes me how worked up people get over something like this. John laughed when I told him the story and said, "You gotta love politics." No, no I don't. I don't love politics. It's all silly. It's a Brownie meeting. It's supposed to be fun, not so serious and structured. If I weren't so disorganized, I'd be a great leader, but leadership kind of includes organization, doesn't it?