Advice Needed: Good News & Bad News

Greetings Scouters:

I unsubscribed from the list over the summer, but I'm back now. I need
your help.

Last spring, I was a Tiger Coach for my son's group. I had a co-coach,
Jan, who has agreed to help me with this year's Wolf Den. Jan and I
are both registered Den Leaders and both have sons who "graduated" from
Tigers to Wolves. We have a total of 12 boys from last year, and, last
week at our round-up night, we signed up another 8 Wolves. I know
another one of my son's friends wants to join also, so that puts us at
21 Wolves with 2 leaders! (GOOD NEWS! Cub Scouts are growing in
Cadott, WI. We had 2 dozen Cub Scouts last year before my husband became
Cubmaster. We now have around 60.)

BAD NEWS: I realize that we should really have 3 Wolf dens with 7 boys
in each den, and 6 registered leaders (two for each den), right? Our
first meeting is this Thurs. night (Sept. 15). Jan and I had
temporarily "split" the boys into two dens of 10 each. We had planned
to meet at the same facility at the same time and always have 2 parents
to help us. That way, we could break into four groups of 5 for
projects. Jan is a great helper, but she prefers to take more of a
hands-on role and does not feel comfortable speaking to groups or
"being in charge" (even though I know she'd be good at it).

I sent a newsletter home from school with all the Wolves yesterday.
The newsletter requested that at least one parent attend our meeting
Thurs. night because I plan to explain how the Wolf program works
(Bobcat, Wolf badge, arrows, etc.) and how the parents need to work
with the boys at home, etc. I also made a sign-up sheet for the
parents to sign up to be helpers and bring treats.

Do I start the meeting by explaining that we must have 4 more
registered leaders, or some of the boys will be in jeopardy? I know
it's only a matter of time before the District Office checks their
computer and sees that we have 21 wolves and 2 Wolf leaders. I don't
think it's fair to the boys to begin working on their Bobcat badges
only to be told a month or two later, "Sorry, you have to quit. We
don't have enough leaders."

My husband, the Cubmaster, is proud of the way he has built up the Cub
Scout program in Cadott, and rightly so. However, he seems to think
that Jan and I can handle 21 wolves. I know from talking with last
year's Wolf Den Leader (she had 5 boys) that this is impossible.
How can I overcome this problem without
1. Stepping on my husband's toes
2. Telling boys that they can't join after all
3. Telling my co-leader, Jan, that she has to take a den
by herself and having her quit on me?

Other than laying a big guilt trip on the parents (I'm hoping they all
come!) at the meeting this Thurs., what can I do?

All advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Yours in Scouting

leiser@pandora.cray.com

Cindi Leiser
Wolf Dens 1, 2 & 3?
Cadott Pack 65
Cadott, Wisconsin

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