Full disclosure: My daughter LOVES selling Girl Scout cookies. It’s probably her favorite part about being a Girl Scout. And I think it’s a great confidence builder, getting out there and asking friends, neighbors and teachers if they want to buy some Thin Mints.

But there are some issues.

I do not love that in the Los Angeles Council, troops need to participate in the Fall Product fundraising (selling shitty nuts) and sell Girl Scout cookies before they can participate in other types of fundraising. What about making friendship bracelets and selling them for $1? Just so the girls get the experience of designing and marketing a product? I find these restrictions on fundraising especially slimy because the top three executives in Los Angeles are paid in excess of $200,000, and those fat salaries come from Girl Scout cookies peddled by cute little girls.

Girl Scouts is an organization that empowers girls. This is awesome! Yeah, girl power! Yet the business of selling Girl Scout cookies is largely powered by parental volunteer hours, and though I know some dads help, the burden is mostly carried by moms. What message does this send? Girls are awesome but once you become a mom, you should pour your soul into volunteering at the expense of your sanity?

Then there’s the way the business of selling cookies whips girls and parents into a frenzy. In 2021, when there were cookies shortages, parents did not behave well. I attended a Zoom session for cookie chairs and watched in amazement as moms lost their minds because their daughters were not going to be able to earn some shitty prize. Cookie season fires up my daughter’s competitive spirit and she gets worried that the neighbors across the street (six daughters, four are Girl Scouts) are going to “steal” her customers.

Then there’s the way selling cookies exposes girls to diet culture. I’ve seen it happen. The girls are outside a grocery store, selling cookies, and customers says, “I can’t, I’m on a diet.” Diet culture is pervasive, but this article drew my attention to some issues I’ve never considered so now, when comments like that get made, I can have an honest conversation with my daughter and the girls in our troop.

All in all, I think the pros of selling Girl Scout cookies outweigh the cons, but by becoming aware of these issues, I can address them with my daughter and turn the dark side of Girl Scout cookies into a positive learning experience.