From: MAJ) Mike Walton (settummanque, the blackeagle (blackeagle@POP3.SCOUTER.NET)
Date: Sun Jan 30 2000 - 15:47:05 CST
Hey Scouters!
A short time back, I posted what I called a "Tale of Woah" (Woah as in STOP,
not in "woe", as in disappointment, even though it was just that as well.
I asked for some feedback at the end of the posting; specificially:
> Do you agree or not with what Phillip Moore suggested?? That's what I want
> to know and that's what the poster wants to know. Is there anything else
> that could have been done in this situation to make it better?? Cookies?
> Brownies?? Ball-peened hammer?
(Phillip is a former professional Scouter-friend of mine now selling
sundries to local school systems in the eastern end of Tennessee.)
> Parental "squabbles" has always been around Scouting, and it's always been
> a part of the training of both volunteers and professionals to deal
> effectively with such situations...but the training only goes SO FAR. How
> do you tell an adult to "chill out and let someone else handle managing
the >Troop?"
>
> How do you tell an adult to "put the brakes on their Scouting" when they
> are clearly enjoying it all?
I wanted to share these with all of you; these are the only ones I received
privately. There was some personal comments between these individuals and me
that I've deleted without affecting their suggestions or whether or not Phil
was ontrack or not.
From: Joe Ray Hawkins <joerhawkins@abts.net>
> How do you tell an adult to "put the brakes on their Scouting" when they
are >clearly enjoying it all?
Mike- I enjoyed the tale.
Tell them to leave their son there- and support this unit over here....
Be it a Pack or a Crew- They can support the program, and not be involved
with the unit their son is in. It takes a great parent to do this. I am
fortunate
to have two in our Troop, that stepped back and helped our Pack. The
Webelos transition has gone up 150%. (Yes- part of that was just the timing.)
But thus far it has worked.
----------------------------
From: "Maryellen" <marye@pacific.net>
(she wrote in part; some of her comments were personal in nature):
Get the chartered organization involved only if they want to be.. alot of
CO's dont know scouting and may come in and think that they have to
run the program also so be careful there.
The other approach may be giving the boys in the Troop some good ol
JLT training and bringing somebody in to explain that it is a boy run
organization that has enough background and faith in the boys and the
program to not be afraid to step on some adult toes when they have to
say "let the boys decide" This person may not win alot of friendships
in the Troop Committee but has to be there to impart the message that
the boys make the decisions not the adults. They need to not be afraid
to tell parents "You need to show your faith in your son by letting him
decide. If he fails, he will learn but if you go through life making his
decisions for him, he will never have faith in himself. You dont want
your son to grow up as an un-sure adult do you?"
The most common answer to any adult that joins our troop and comes
with all these ideas and thoughts about how things should be is "what
do the boys think about it? Why dont you tell the SPL and let him bring
it up at the PLC?" They hate that answer but soon enough they get the
message that we dont decide, the boys do.
Hope this explains my thoughts on this.
--------------------
From: Jalphaoq@aol.com
(there was some personal comments that I deleted as well)
Fully agree that the committee is the Chartered Partner's business. Sez so
in some pub I've seen. The DE and DCC and the Charter Rep need to have a
meeting of the minds, then reorganize the Board of Directors, as you two
suggested.
As for "getting it done right", I've personally learned better/faster when I
got myself up to here in aligators and had to make corrections. Same for
Scouts, within reason. When a SM, I was happier to see things done wrong,
then overcome, than to see everything peachy keen all the time due to a
couple of guys "doing it right" while the rest watched.
Jim
--------------
Thanks to these three Scouters for their comments in helping me resolve an
issue for another Scouter...
Settummanque!
-----
(MAJ) Mike L. Walton (settummanque, the blackeagle)
http://www.mninter.net/~blkeagle
[Purchase Your Binder! for Scouting's Y2K's publications!]
personal inquiries via kyblkeagle@aol.com,
blackeagle@pop3.SCOUTER.net or blkeagles@hotmail.com
professional inquiries via mike.walton@usarc-emh2.army.mil
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