It’s the third week in January, which means my Girl Scout will be out this weekend trying to convince you to purchase multiple boxes of Thin Mints, Samoas, or Savannah Smiles (whatever those are). As a dad who wants my soon-to-be-8-year-old to learn the value of work, I’m all for the sales pitch. But as a dad who sometimes gets too involved in my kids’ lives, I’m a little worried.

See, my wife was in charge of cookie sales last year. The total? Sixty boxes. Not a bad haul for our small neighborhood—but I know I could do better. So I volunteered to go out this year.

But that got me thinking: How much of this cookie-sale stuff is for the kids, and how much of it is about the parents? That is, the cookie thing shouldn't be about me or my ego. Give me a day, and I’d have half of the metro area neck-deep in Do-Si-Dos. But this is my kid, and I have to let her succeed—or fail—on her own merits. For that reason, I’m resolving to be a little less involved—to step aside this cookie season and let my daughter do the heavy lifting. Sure, I’ll be there when she rings the doorbell, but then it’s up to her. If that means getting turned down 10 houses in a row, then that’s how it’ll be. I’ll just make sure I let our dog roam those lawns this summer.

Seriously, though, this is a big weekend for me. And I’m sure it’ll be a learning experience—for both of us. But sometimes Dad has to know when it’s time for his little girl to take over. Even though I know I’d be one great Girl Scout.

—Photo courtesty of Girl Scouts (clockwise, from the top: Thin Mint, Samoa, Trefoil)