Re: I lost my temper....mea culpa (long)
Steven G. Tyler (sgtyler@EROLS.COM)
Thu, 6 Aug 1998 16:56:38 -0400
John Durbetaki wrote, in part:
> <Asbestos suit is now on, flame away> I had a boy at camp who threatened
> other boys with a knife (not just being careless) and told them he was
> praying for them to die. He was also throwing his knife into tents and
> casting his fishing pole with a treble hook in the camp site. He did
> alot more (I wrote a five page single spaced report on his escapades)
> and I made the effort to give him a new chance again and again. His dad
> showing up helped some, but dad is unreliable and there was a fight on
> the day before we left that this boy was involved in.
I fully agree with John's post and suggestions, but these comments
stopped me cold. Such behaviors remind me of comments made by those who
knew the troubled youths who took weapons to school, and used them.
Yes, we are *not* social workers, but if it's clear the parents cannot
or will not control the boy or get him the help he needs, it may fall to
the SM or other Scouters to suggest the need for professional help.
In extreme instances, it may even be necessary to make the referral
yourself. Many states now have "shield" laws that protect a good-faith
reporter (check your local laws before you rely on this, though!). In
any event I personally feel we have at least a moral obligation to do
our best to get a troubled Scout the help he may need. The alternative
may be to practice your "sound bites" for the day he goes ballistic.
Overly dramatic? Perhaps -- but I suspect many of the families and
friends of the school shooters would have thought so, too!
--
YIS, Steve on Cattail Creek <Steven G. Tyler>, Severna Park, MD, USA
"The Computer Counselor," Technology Consulting for the Law Office
Advancement Chair and de facto Webmaster, Troop 339,
Baltimore Area Council, BSA (http://members.aol.com/troop339/)
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
