To be Peeved off at Brownies

My siblings and I were in Girls/Boys Brigade attached to the same church. Bizarrely, they had different company numbers within the same district.... something to do with the way the administration was set up.

The Church parades were always joint as were a lot of weekend activities, day camps and so on. The only things that were separate - for obvious reasons - were weekend camps for the teenagers and club nights (which were divided up by age). There simply wasn't the space available in the church hall to accomodate both groups on the same time or enough tents for both sets of kids to use at the same time (to leave alone the issue of chaperoning us!!). Besides which most of us didn't want to mix with our brothers on a night off from them.

Not allowed? Blimey, Cubs/Beavers definitely the right place for us then

My dd was Brownies and loved it. It was pretty girly. Girls in out area can be Guides or Scouts - the Guides tend towards traditional "female" things, which suits some girls. Don't know whether any boys have ever tried to join, though. The Scouts are much more outdoors-y, and are mostly boys, although mre girls are joining. Dd is a Sea Scout and they sail and canoe and tie knots and rush about in a ridiculously Swallows and Amazon-y sort of way.Horses for Courses, I say!

You couldn't send your ds's to Brownies even if you tried - its not allowed!

Plus there are quite a few events that our whole section are involved in, so we can participate as a family. Don't really see what's so wrong with that.

I like Woodcraft too because it's always been mixed boys and girls, as a central feature since it started. Which is much more appealing than girls being grudgingly permitted to join in at a later date.

And I love the way at woodcraft that if they do choose to wear uniform they are encouraged to personalise it with any old badges or marks that they like. it's a very anarchic take on uniform.

If ds wanted to go to Brownies, ballet or sugarcraft, I'd support him

I think they should both be mixed, personally

ds is a cub and dd1 is at Beavers. Still feel quite and that there are people out there who think she shouldn't be there, purely based on her gender.

If I had a ds I wouldn't send him to Brownies anymore than I'd send dd to cubs. I wonder how many people supporting girls going into cubs would send their sons to Brownies?

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Why is a girls-only environment ok, but a boys-only environment sexist, then?

Over-hyped feminist shit.

Sorry but Brownies is part of a uniformed organisation, you wear Brownie uniform to it and that is that. 100 years of Guiding will come soon enough

As for girls getting in on the action in Scouting and keeping things separate. The numbers in Scouts were falling before they allowed girls to join.

What sweeping statements CLM! Brownies and Cubs do different stuff - my DD2 is a Brownie and loves it, but her friend, who is a real tomboy would hate it - she is a Cub and loves the stuff they do there. What has their sex got to do with it, their interests are surely more relevant?

I also agree about having groups for girls and groups for boys and it being fine. I don't care if they do exactly the same activities.

Girls thrive in a single sex environment, and boys are calmed down by the presence of girls. Well, maybe boys don't always need to be calmed down - maybe sometimes they need to be able to let off steam with other boys.

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Why is she going to both anyway? Sounds bonkers to me.

Having cubs for boys and brownies for girls does not necessarily mean that anyone is experiencing inequality though Zog. It COULD do of course, but not inherently.

I agree with those who feel that there is something worth preserving in having cubs for boys, brownies for girls. I'm sure there are other community groups for both sexes if that's an issue for people.

And in answer to the OP I do think YABU....she shouldn't have worn the cub scarf in the parade, as others have said. I don't think you can argue with them there.

Sounds like you may need to bin the brownies and just send her to cubs.

My son goes to a Woodcraft Folk group. The fact that boys & girls mix together was one of its attraction (plus the non-religious aspect). Uniform (a green T-shirt with a badge) is optional.

I think I'd agree with not mixing uniforms if they are so fussy about it. They sound dreadful anyway.

Zog - she gets her hoydenish element out of her in her ballet class . They still do what I used to do in the same building - see how many steps they can jump off before one of them loses their nerve/breaks a limb/makes too much noise for the teachers to ignore. Seriously she does lots of 'boyish' things as well like football class. From witnessing her in Rainbows, they don't just sit around embroidering pink samplers or making fairy cakes. I just feel as she mixes with boys at school, it's good for her to have some time with just girls.

A bit like the research that suggests mixed-gender schools are good for boys (as the presence of girls tend to calm down the whole environment) but single-gender schools are best for girls as they don't get pushed out by the boys.

Zog - My DD does everything at school atht eh boys do. yes, we have got past it.

its NICE that she goes to Brownies wiht girls. Its a differnt atmosphere and she relaly enjoys it, I think a having boys thre would change it a lot.

I also have a DS and would like him to go to cubs - without girls.

FGS I'm all for equality but what is WRONG with just having girls at Brownies/boys at cubs?

Surely we've got past the whole "this is what boys do, this is what girls do" thing now though? What about equality?

Where I live there are waiting lists for Brownie packs - you have to put them down when they begin Rainbows so they get near the top of the list by the time they're 7 - so I'm guessing that it's the same for Beavers/Cubs. It seems a tad me me me for a child to take up two places in similar organisations then moan about the rules of one of them.