I think a little perspective is needed on this topic.

I am a Girl Scout leader. I have proudly been one for close to seven years. I started out with cute little kindergarteners. My troop now consists of girls ranging from third grade to sixth. When I first saw the roll out of the new Girl Scout "resources" I balked (known as Studio 2B). I didn't see a need for girls learning about such topics as sexuality, drugs, etc. But, let's face it. At the time I was a mother of a third grader. Those weren't topics she needed information on.

Now, I'm in a whole new arena-the middle school Girl Scout. Unfortunately these girls are dealing with topics way beyond what many of us dealt with growing up. These girls are now dealing with stress and what was previously thought of as 'adult' topics. Thankfully GSUSA saw fit to provide us volunteers with the appropriate resources to handle these topics if needed.

Mind you, we are not just passing out information. It is strictly on a "need to know, if they ask" basis. Some middle school girls are quite fortunate to live in areas where these topics are now relevant. But, for those who do live in high risk areas, the leaders can feel better addressing those concerns with the right tools in place.

It is a bad situation when younger level (think Daisy and Brownies) leaders drop out because they are concerned with program concepts (Studio 2B). At no point in my training was it expressed that younger level leaders needed to address these type of issues. It's not even part of the literature at those levels. If they do arise at those levels, it's always best to contact your service unit/neighborhood leadership and/or your local council.

Unfortunately the world we live in is not inside of a bubble. We can't expect our children to join organizations like GSUSA or BSA and not be confronted with controversial (or liberal-minded) issues. It's best that our children have a safe place to discuss these issues, if needed, when they feel they can't go elsewhere (think parents, church or even school counselors). Although my troop is in one of those 'fortunate' areas, I'd feel much better if one of my girls needed to talk about a controversial topic that she spoke with me (or one of my leaders) instead of simply talking amongst her peers. That's not being part of a liberal agenda. That's simply being the best Girl Scout leader I can be, and fulfilling the Girl Scout Law ("use resources wisely, make the world a better place").

Learn more about this author, Shantella Benson.
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