Re: Dads as MB Counselors
MRS HOPE D PRITCHARD (QDRB26A@PRODIGY.COM)
Fri, 27 Jun 1997 17:04:47 -0500
And MOMS as MB Counselors....
A few years ago, a boy in our troop had received quite a few merit
badges. Then we had a switch and my husband became the Scoutmaster.
He started turning in blue card after blue card with his mother's
signature on it. We happened to know the lady, and started to
question the boy about the blue cards when she signed off for his
Atomic Energy merit badge - she obviously did not have knowledge of
this subject matter suitable to be a merit counselor. Also, they
(the blue cards) were all lacking the previous Scoutmaster's
signature and start date.
The Scoutmasters and ASM's decided that parents would be allowed to
be counselors for certain badges, and others would require that the
counselor show "expertise" of some sort in order to qualify to be a
counselor (either in their work or a hobby). We also required that
all merit badge counselors fill out applications - even parents
counseling the more simpler merit badges. It's simply not fair to
allow a parent to be a counselor for merit badges that require
knowledge of subject matter.
Anyway, the boy ultimately quit the troop when he found that we would
no longer accept blue cards from his mother.
I would be interested in hearing how others would handle this......
Hope Pritchard
Troop Committee Member
Troop 11 - West Side Christian Church
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
