I know I take this issue way too seriously.  It's baggage I am just not able to set down.

I was a Girl Scout from age 5 to age 25.  Until I left  town for college, my mother forced me to sell cookies every year.  It was part of being a Girl Scout.  That I do not dispute.  Every troop I was a member of sold cookies.  We had to sell as many pre-order boxes as we could on our own, as well as stand outside the local Jewel for two weekends in a row doing direct sales.

Why was this traumatizing for me?  Why did it leave me a little bitter?  Because even though there were more than enough girls in every troop to fill all the time slots, I always had to take at least two shifts, usually three or four.  My mother was the leader or cookie coordinator every year, so I was also the fill in for anyone who couldn't make it. When the direct sales are done in January and February in Chicago... my hands and feet are still cold.

Worse - I was the only girl in the troop whose parents would not help her sell the pre-order cookies.  Everyone else's father (and sometimes mother as well) took their form to the office and asked co workers to buy cookies.  One girl sold over 1200 boxes.  To a certain extent, cookie sales are competetive.  There are patches and other prizes you earn based on the number of boxes you sell.  Imagine trying to compete with 1200 boxes when you have to walk door to door to do it.  I usually averaged around 75 boxes - and felt great the single year I managed to break 100.

I agreed with my parents' refusal to sell for me - both then and now.  It didn't make me happy like the stuffed unicorn would have, but I understood the logic.  Why take credit for something you didn't actually do?  But it was accepted then and it is accepted now.  In fact, the practice has carried over into other ares - or maybe it was already there.  Parents do things for their children which the children should do for themselves.

Worst case?  I ate dinner at a friend's house with her family.  We were all sitting and talking after dinner when she asked me to buy a "Kringle" coffee cake from her daughter.  Her daughter was actually sitting there at the table with us.  I responded - no thanks.  If Rachel wants me to buy a coffee cake I would be glad to, but she has to ask me.

She never did.