"Beaming" about my Cub Scout son (long)

I have lurked on the list for a year or so now. It has given me a
tremendous amount of good information and ideas. Have never felt the
need to post before now, but I HAVE to share this with people that
will understand what it means to me.

My son and I just returned from Cub Scout "Space Camp" (our council's
theme for this years summer camp) along with the rest of our pack. We
had a great time. This is the first year we have been to camp since
our pack was started back up a few years ago.

On our second day of camp, myself and one of my den leaders decided to
stay out of the water during our swim time. We wanted to go over the
rest of the days schedule. While we watched from above the waterfront
area, a few things happened that we weren't too happy about. The
lifeguards and waterfront staff were doing some things that we felt
could allow some accidents to occur. We had decided that we would
talk to our village director when we got back and let him know that we
felt they needed to tighten up some of their rules and practices that
they followed. We just felt that the scouts were at risk of some
types of minor injuries.

Before we got done, an accident did happen. And it happened to my
son. They were playing a game where the lifeguards would tell them to
go to the dock on one side of the swim area, or the rope on the other
side. At one time when they were hanging on to the dock, the
lifeguard was playing around by hitting the bottom of his reach pole
near the hands of the swimmers on the dock. He timed it wrong and hit
a scout's hand and cut the top of one of his fingers open. It just
happened that it was my son.

They got him out of the water and up to the waterfront building.
While the waterfront director was cleaning it up and talking to my
son, she said,,, "Just wait until tomorrow, we'll make sure we get him
back by throwing him in the water". My son didn't say much, it sure
didn't seem to comfort him.

Later in the day we were talking about what had happened. I asked my
son why he thought it had happened and he admitted that it was just an
accident, that it had happened because the lifeguard was "goofing
around" with us. I told him whatever he wanted to do the next day was
up to him. That he should think about what he wanted to do ahead of
time.

Later that night during free time, a couple of the other leaders and I
took some of the scouts down to the camp store to buy something to
drink. We ran into the lifeguard and a couple of the other waterfront
staff there. He asked my son how his finger was. My son said it was
ok, it still hurt. The lifeguard asked him if he was going to throw
him in tomorrow. My son said no. The LG said "It's ok to do if the
lifeguard says its ok". My eight year old son then made me one of the
proudest fathers there ever was by saying "But it's not what a good
Cub Scout would do." It's probably a good thing I was facing the pop
machine chucking quarters in it, that way no one would see the mile
wide grin I had on my face right then. One of my den leaders said the
lifeguards smile just dropped from his face at that statement. He
then said "Oh, your dad won't let you do it". I turned and told him
that "No, I told him earlier today he could do whatever he wanted to
do, but that he should think about it ahead of time, and I think he
just made the best choice an eight year old could ever have made." He
just didn't really have much to say after that.

I hope you will pardon my long story, but I had to tell this out here.
Most people wouldn't understand or think much of this story, but I
hoped the people out here could appreciate just how great this made me
feel. I am still flying in the clouds, two days later over his
decision and what he said.

YIS

Del Rockwell
drock@net-link.net
CM Pack 345, United Methodist Church
Bellevue, MI, USA
Nottawa Trails District, Southwest Michigan Council
Eagle class of '77, OA Ordeal - '73

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