Even in a national group, you just trace back to the specific chapter's founders. It might be hard to trace backwards for an older chapter that's never tracked families before, but that would be true regardless of national/local status.

:: hums cheerfully as she snatches back the hijacked thread::
with my organization, we tend to take a pledge daughter when we feel the time is right. we sign up, and then after spending quality time with each of the new girls, we pick our top 3, and they pick their top 3, and it gets matched up as best as possible. i don't have a daughter this semester, and i don't want to take one next semester, not to be selfish, but i want to be able to really devote myself to the responsibilities of being a "mom" when i do take a daughter. our pledge classes are REALLY small anyway, so taking a daughter is kind of difficult anyway. we once had a pledge class of 2!!!

My chapter usually takes a little the year after initiation. I pledged Fall 03 and I took a little this semester. The spring class also had a few girls take littles, too. But generally, it wouldnt have been right for someone from my pledge class to take a little from the spring class.

In general terms I have always thought that it was best to take a little after you have been in the chapter for a year. I think that after that point you are more comfortable with your knowledge about how everything works within the chapter, what you represent etc. I think it's important b/c I think one of your main goals as a big sis is to be able to teach your little what it means to be a sister in your chapter. Looking back it seems that it was harder for those sisters who took one right away to teach their new littles because they were still learning about the chapter themselves.

I don't think your bond that you have with your little is affected by when you take her. I got my first little the semester after I was intitiated. It was very overwhelming. Someone else was orginally assigned to be her big and the last week before they were supposed to find out who their big sis was the girl kinda dissapeared so I stepped in. I definately wasn't ready, and wasn't the best big sister at that time. I took another little sister in the fall of my junior year. I now have a better relationship with my first little.

in my chapter it depends on a lot. those who are eligible are ranked in order from highest grade to lowest and within the grades they are ranked depending on how small the trees are. other things are factored into consideration. my plege class was bigger than the amount of people who were taking littles so some people who already had littles got to take another one who really fit in with them. i wasnt ranked this semseter so i'll prolly get a lil in the spring when we have more girls to choose from. however i adopted a pseudo lil because i love this girl that pledged this year and she would have totally fit in my tree

Hey! Don't knock the lil ones! I'm from a line of two and we were tooooo tight!

/hijack

I'm from a small pledge class, too! Mine has three!

hey, no hate on the small pledge classes. i'm from a class of three and our largest ever was our FOUNDING class of 10. we've never gotten near that number since then. i have MUCH love for the small pledge classes.

Typically in my chapter, sisters will take a little the year after they are initiated. If you were Fall 2002, then you took a little in Fall 2003, etc. You must ask for special permission from our Leadership Team (E-Board) if you want to take one in the 1st semester after you are initiated or if you want to take on in the semester you are to graduate. I think this is a good time to take one because you have definite experience over your little, but aren't too old to bond. I got my little in Fall 2003 even though I was initiated in Fall 2001 because of financial reasons. It's sooo expensive, but worth it because I lovvve my little!!

Big/Little is DEFINITELY my favorite aspect of being greek!! Its hard to explain the big/lil relationship to non-sorority members because its not a typical friendship and not even like a typical sister relationship. Now that my little has a little, I'm practically a doting grandparent over my little-little! Is anyone else this way or am I just weird? Haha

I wish I was closer with my big. She's really awesome but we never hang out. She's a bartender and works a lot, so I usually only get to see her then. I'm pretty sure she's dropping out though after this semester, which definitely sucks. :( Luckily though I got a little that I REALLY wanted, so hopefully she and I will be closer than I was with my big.

I got my little this fall, a year after I was initiated. That's about the average time-span in our chapter. However, my roomie got a little in the spring and now has another little and 2 grand-littles, and she was in my pledge class!

We had a huge new member class (24) so some girls had to take 2 littles. My lil sis is actually a year older than me, but we get along great!

I was initiated in the fall of 03 and recieved a lil in the fall of 04. I waited a year but that was only because i didn't click with anyone really well in the spring 03 class. If you have a great bond with this girl then there shouldn't be a time frame. As long as she wants u as a big and you want her as a lil then that is all that matters, and I would hope your chapter sees it that way as well!!


Delta Zeta
"...May I Walk Truly In The Light Of The Flame"