Re: "On Our Own"
Patty Birgel (birgel@GULF.NET)
Mon, 29 Jul 1996 20:44:30 -0500
Mike Walton wrote in reguards to:
> a great question that has been asked of me in
>the past couple of weeks in regard to the "convoy" thing, and in
>general about other BSA policies:
>
Thank you Mike, so well said.
One of my biggest gripes is watching parents bend the rules to their
convenience. What are we teaching our children when we park in the handicap
parking, or the fire lane next to the building, just to "run in for a minute".
What are we teaching our children when we smoke (which we shouldn't anyway)
in no
smoking areas because we know we can get away with it.
What are we teaching our children when we break in line, or don' wait our turn,
because we are in a hurry.
I see things like this all the time. Parents park along the no parking curb
at school where we drop our children off in the morning. Parents littering,
crossing against a
red light, taking two newspapers out of the paper machine.
At our last Cub/Dad day we were suppose to meet around the flag pole and form a
line to walk to the bon-fire as a group. Our Cubmaster lined us up and took our
pack straight down to the meeting place before any of the other packs had
formed.
I was very embarrased and wondered what example had we set for our 60 boys that
were in attendance that evening. I am even more upset with myself for going
along with the group.
Another example was last month we did the flag ceremony for Five Flags
Speedway. They
had a Cubscout night and let all scouts in uniform in free. Our pack/troop
did the flag ceremony that night. The boys were really excited to be down on
the race track
in front of all the spectators. We practiced several evenings to get it just
right.
During the practice sessions the Boyscouts arrived late and did not take the
practice
serious. They did not listen to the adults very well. We told the boys to take a
break, stay off the track and not to sit on a wall. The younger Cubscouts
were great, but the Boy Scouts immediately perched themselves on the wall
while a couple of others
proceded to "race" each other around the track. NONE of the men leaders said
a word
to the Boys who were doing exactly what they had been told not to do!
AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Adults that think that some rules are stupid and were made to get around,
are teaching
their children the same thing. And we wonder what has happened to our youth
today,
why do they show such disregard for the law? Did they, through the years,
learn by example?
Sorry I got on my soap box, but this is one problem that really gets under
my skin.
Patty Birgel
Den Leader
Pack 626
Pensacola, FL
birgel@gulf.net
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
