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Right there and still missed it.

—

by

Jax Blunt
in

Tonight was Big’s Brownie promise, and I’m sorry, but I can’t post any pictures. No, I didn’t forget the camera. No, I didn’t run out of batteries, nor did they ban pictures for bizarre child protection purposes. I wasn’t too late, we weren’t locked out of the room. Oh, it’s way better than that 🙁

When we got there (we being me and Small) the Brownies were playing parachute games which involved a lot of running and very loud screaming. (As an aside, I find that sort of thing really difficult – I’ve never liked lots of noise in a confined space, and at Montessori, the other place I see a lot of children together, we work very hard to not have children running and screaming inside.) Then they started to do something where they lifted the parachute into the air three times, and then finally brought it down with the Brownies inside it, underneath. They did this a couple of times, then the leader said “parents can join us if they want.”

Small didn’t want to, and I didn’t know what was going to happen next, so I shook my head. What happened next was they did it all again, and then did their promises UNDER the parachute.

So I heard her. I was right there. But I still missed it.

I could cry. I did actually, when I got back to the car, and the kids were fighting and Big was in tears as well because I missed it.

Oh and to top it all off, she handed me a pile of stuff, box, books, crocuses in a decorated pot that she decorated for me, and her badge for her six, and I’ve got home and emptied my pockets and can I find the badge? Can I stuff. Anni, is there anywhere I can get a squirrel badge along with the sash she needs now?

Comments

9 responses to “Right there and still missed it.”

  1. HelenHaricot avatar
    HelenHaricot

    ah, bugger. sorry and hugs

    Reply
  2. Merry avatar
    Merry

    It is possible to buy them and i think that as the people who Big wanted to make her promise in front of the person who had come to see her do so and as she therefore won’t feel she has really done it and it will leave her with a sad feeling about it, what you should do is ring up tomorrow, explain and then ask if she can do her promise again next week where her mummy can see her do it.
    There is definitely only one way to deal with disappointments like that and that is to fix them. So far as i know (and granted i don’t know everything) the Mushroom will not devour the Brownie who makes her promise twice 🙂

    Reply
  3. Merry avatar
    Merry

    Oooh, i must have changed my mind half way through that sentence, it doesn’t make sense… just say shes upset because you didn’t realise what was happening and your upset too and any decent Brown Owl will just let her say it again 🙂

    Reply
  4. Jax avatar
    Jax

    I will talk to Big tomorrow and ask her if she wants me to do that – I suspect she might not as she won’t want to make a big thing out of it. We’ve had lots of hugs and cuddles over it tonight – she even brought me a tissue when we were both crying 🙁 🙂
    Can’t help feeling the woman isn’t a decent Brown owl (and yes, I do feel a bit ungrateful complaining about someone who is volunteering, but I’ve done a hell of a lot of volunteering in my time, and I don’t think it lets you off doing things properly) or she wouldn’t have been so daft as to have done it that way in the first place. I’ve seen lots of other ppl’s pictures, and I’ve never seen other ones under a parachute!

    Reply
  5. Kirsty avatar
    Kirsty

    bleurgh. *Hugs*

    Reply
  6. Sarah avatar
    Sarah

    Oh, that stinks 🙁 I’d be utterly gutted too, in your position. Hope Big can manage to decide what she wants to do about it and that you can sort it out one way or another. I’d ask to repeat the promise thing too, I think, if it were me.

    Reply
  7. Nic avatar
    Nic

    Oh no, how crap 🙁
    D’s Beaver leader was completely RUBBISH and I didn’t in the end make any sort of complaint for that same reason about her being a volunteer (and clearly struggling) but it really got my back up too.
    So sorry about the promise – hope you and Big find a solution to you both feeling better about it.

    Reply
  8. Michelle avatar
    Michelle

    Hugs. But I’m inappropriately laughing as imagining the scene and you realising what was happening. Bizarre thing – promises under the parachute! A re-run is in order.

    Reply
  9. tbird avatar
    tbird

    Def ask for a re-run of the promise, you should ahve been TOLD what the plan was! Also, being a “girl led” organisation we are supposed to allow our girls a bit of choice in how they make their promise whereas I’m assuming Big was just along for the ride with the parachute? In Aprilia’s unit they have had everything from the traditional toadstool thing, candle lit ones and even one at the top of the scramble net at our local activity centre!
    I can nip to our depot tonight and grab you a Squirrel badge no problem (at which point of course, the other one will turn up but hey!) You can only get them if you are a leader in theory, they aren’t available via Trading unless you know the code and have a warrant card
    Oh, and check her promise badge, there have been a few faulty batches recently, the clasp is on upside down so that rather than gravity holding it closed, it flips it open (which made no sense did it?) Basically, if you need to spin the clasp upwards to close it then it WILL spin back down and open at some point and almost certainly you will then lose it….. ask me how I know this……
    If Big is planning on doing LOTS of badges then the gilet is a better option rather than the sash, you can only get about 18 badges onto the sash (including her Six badge etc) unless you start hanging them off the edges (a prospect that did not appeal to Aprilia!) but if Big is in an “all sash” unit then get the extra wide one, either way they are available from Trading ( http://tinyurl.com/3q36sn ) You will need a nice sturdy safety pin if you get the sash, the badges that come with them fall apart with alarming regularity.

    Reply

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