Advancement Advice
Ned Jacklin (LASNJ@CCMAIL.CECO.COM)
Fri, 4 Oct 1996 12:33:57 CST
We're looking for the collective wisdom.................
We have an ASM and his very ambitious son in our Troop. ASM is going
through a divorce, living many miles away, and doesn't see his son
much except at Scout functions.
Son is a real bookworm, having Earned Star in 20 months at the age of
12 plus a few months. The majority of his requirements and many of
his merit badges have been signed off by his Dad. We trust them that
they are really doing the work, but we're really stressing that the
son needs the learning (maturing) experience of calling other
counselors to make appointments to work on merit badges. We're also
trying to avoid any appearance of impropriety in the eyes of others.
We had an understanding in our Troop even before this father and son
joined that dads would not sign off sons on advancement requirements
or merit badges. This ASM dad is really pushing the issue that he
should sign off his son or our "official" Citizenship counselor should
just sign him off because Dad said son has done all the work.
Now that I'm Advancement Chairman and ASM (as of last night) the
decision seems to rest with me, although the new SM and CC are also
really concerned with this whole thing. At summer camp, this Dad and
son had little contact with the rest of the Troop; dad was ASM for son
and not for any of the other boys.
Help? One of the other ASMs has my Advancement Guidelines book, so I
haven't been able to look up the rules on dads and sons working
together. This is not entirely a "rulebook" situation, either. None
of the rest of us have been divorced, so we really haven't "walked a
mile in his moccasins." We're trying to be understanding without
compromising, or appearing to compromise, the integrity of the
program.
Ned Jacklin, former SM, now ASM and AC
Troop 469
Morris IL USA
lasnj@ccmail.ceco.com
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