Re: Locating volenteers

Steve Myers writes:

> No Mike, my thoughts too. I have one parent along now who is
> helping a little too much (or is it that I am just so sensitive to
> the boy developed, boy planned, boy run thing?) His son recently
> became PL at a very young age and he is rushing to help him
> succeed. He prods well, but then crosses that line to doing it
> for him. It is a bugger of a problem. Can't tell him not to
> help since failure by itself is not desired -- can't tell him
> good job, keep it up since that precludes success on the part of the
> boys.

One this that will help this problem greatly is to get the father to take
the "Scoutmaster Fundementals" course the next time your district or
council offers it. This course is useful for getting fathers, and mothers
(uncles, aunts, older brothers etc) the basic methods of scouting. Once
exposed to these ideas, they are generally more willing to let the boy's do
their work by themselves.

On campouts, I also try to have the adults camp somewhat separately --
although that is not easy around here where a troop can be forced to camp
in a area the size of my living room. This lessens the temptation for the
adults to step in and help boys who are having trouble. This is most
important at meal time (and meal time is when this breaks down in my troop
most often), but is also important at other times.

Ronald B. Oakes
Scoutmaster, Troop 91
Palatine, IL

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