sending scouts home/single parents
Kim Moye (kmoye@SPDMAIL.SPD.DSCCC.COM)
Thu, 31 Oct 1996 11:43:24 -0600
The subject about the boy scout who was not cooperating on the last camp
out because he was "too cold", will bring many helpful responses to the
poster. (This is completely biased based on how much you "guys" help me :)
Anyway, I don't anything more than what was written, that it was the
Scoutmaster's son. My issue with the responses that might come is a little
tainted.
I am a single mom. My twins, Amy and CJ have not seen their father in 8.5
out of 10 years. If I was on the camping trip, I could not call the other
parent to come get the kid. I would have to leave, and that might indeed
be the valid solution to the problem.
My issue is (soapbox on), although some Scout articles have been written
about single parent families, most people seem to forget about some kids
only having one parent or having to divide time between two parents that
love them.
In my pack, we have been pretty lucky that most of the families are "intact".
My den was the one that seemed to have the "single" parents and many times
my house had more siblings than cubs! I knew the mom's and dad's could not
afford babysitting, and as Tigers, they were suppose to be there. I did have
a problem with one "dad" not knowing about field trips until I started mailing
him a den newsletter.
One of my den leaders last year was frustrated with a boy for never making
Saturday field trips. The leader did not know the boy's parents were divorced
and she had being making trips on the dad's weekend. Again, the dad just
didn't know.
They're are some parents who might state that "it's my time with my son and
I'm not wasting it on Scout stuff" and indeed I have met some of these. They
are the minority. Most parents will bend over backwards if it's important
to the boys. And most leaders I know, will try to work around the
schedules. (Provided we know there's a problem.)
Soapbox off. I just have a problem with people automatically assuming that
their is another partner at home that can be called to handle "emergencies".
Yis,
kim moye
cubmaster/webelos leader
pack 308/allen, tx
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
