![\"ywtorch\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasingmolly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/ywtorch-149x300.jpg?resize=149%2C300\" "\\"ywtorch\\"")
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It was a few weeks before my birthday and my YW leader sat me down on her front porch and we discussed all the things I’ve ever done before and when I would mention one that fit, she would sign my book until it was all completely filled out, about an hour later. My name is Bianca and I don’t think I truly earned my YW Medallion. Our activities consisted of the “Virgin Lips Club” and watching the Color Purple (Not Recommended). We had a lot of fun but I wonder if I didn’t just miss the boat. I mean as I watched the boys in Cub Scouts eyes light up\u00a0at Day camp when they learned to hammer their own nails into\u00a0their projects and the confidence they gained from learning something new, how something works, or how to do something better, you could almost see their self worth grow. They felt loved and every little thing they signed off gave them a new sense of accomplishment, confidence and self worth. No longer limited to what a teacher could teach them,they know they can just pick up their books and learn and do all by themselves. It is one of the many brilliant purposes behind Scouting. The self sufficiency comes with the knowledge that they can learn independently, that they can do anything because by the time they are done with the program they almost have done everything.
\nAs I took the long walk up to the pulpit to shake the Bishops hand and receive my Medallion, I wondered what this said about me. Was I incapable of doing it on my own? Would truly earning my medallion have been too hard for me? Did my leaders not have time for working the program or investing in teaching me? Was I not worth it? As fun as the activities were, what did I really miss? My YW leaders were well liked. We had a lot of fun. We were all really good friends. Did I really need anything else? Hmmm, what ever the case, no matter how much I loved my YW Leaders, when I discuss my friends YW’s projects and see the pride in their eyes as they pull them out of their hope chests and tell of the things they learned and to see them use those skills in their homes today, it does make me feel a little left out. But luckily, for me, I have a little girl who just turned twelve, and a young boy who will turn eleven in a couple of days and a husband who is in Young Mens. Luckily for me, I can see the value of\u00a0the program and I have the power to give my children the very best of it. Always something to work on.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"