Leaderboard

Forget the badge (for the moment). Your son is fixated on one single focused excersize program. His goal isn't throwing better, it's gaining mass so that he can throw better. He is ignoring that throwing ends at the wrist, but requires stability of every joint clear through his core down to the toes. He has a muscle tear in his knee. Sounds like he needs a sports medicine physical therapist. He also needs a little health literacy. It's likely that he didn't latch on to this regimen because it's the best way to achieve his goal. But because someone told him it was without telling

Your friends next move should be to hold the event for free. Announce that donations will be accepted for threads and sewing needles. I'm sure a few tens and twenties will also find their way into the donation box.

Why are you counseling your own son? You KNOW he knows every button of yours to push. Merit badges are a tool of the ADULT ASSOCIATION METHOD. Let someone else counsel him. Now, as to his fitness plan... have him do 5 sets of 10 x 100 yard sprints, 3 times a week. That the distance from shallow left field to the wall.

A short update: The Chartering Organization removed from the committee the two parents causing trouble in my troop. Ideally, intense conflict resolution with a professional would have been better, but my gut says they would not come to the table. The two parents convinced other parents to join their faction and will be starting a new troop. So half of the active scouts will be leaving my troop. It is a sad day for me given the year and a half I invested in these scouts. Looks like I will return as scoutmaster and will put the pieces back together for the second time. The committee will b

One day I'll have to introduce you to MY kid...

Good point - but one I'd add a little to this. I attended once and have staffed a few times now. In anything, if you go in with really high expectations - you are bound to be disappointed. Wood Badge is leadership training course put on by volunteers. The volunteers are typically some of the more experienced trainers in the council and have a wealth of Scouting experience. In our council the volunteers work really hard to make it the absolute best course possible. But at the end of the day, it's a Scouter training course put on by volunteers. On the flip slide - if you go in w

Irrespective of the MB reqs, no training program that I have seen says no aerobic activity. At the very minimum, high intensity training for short intervals will do the job. Such as those wind sprints. However, the elephant in the room seems to be a teen with visions of grandeur. This is common. I remember wanting to gain weight as well, some 45 years ago because I wanted to play college football. Good thing I didn't put my eggs in that basket. Anyway, it could be your son needs to get his training wisdom from someone with more expertise. As in not the internet and not his friends. A kid

Stick to the requirements...no more no less. Has he actually read the MB pamphlet? The program is for the scout to improve in each of the original exercise tests...if he doesn't due to a poor exercise program...No MB.

90% of their council is LDS? Sorry, but no sympathy for those guys. They've been riding easy streak their whole careers.

In my opinion, one of the more distasteful aspects of BSA management, which I think comes in part from having an insular hiring and promotion policy that means everyone in the organization has essentially grown up knowing no other culture, is that they are compelled to spin everything as if they have it all under control. In this case: "As part of our regular evaluation of our needs and resources" and "it is partly based on the recent decision." Neither of those statements is remotely true. Nothing about this is part of anything regular, and the need to layoff thirteen people is entirely b

Many at the virtual campfire are rallying behind you. It is going to be tough, but the reward is that those left in your charge will get the program delivered correctly. Those that leave won't or can't see the dysfunction, and trying to but heads with them isn't productive or setting the right example for your Scouts.

At one Scoutmaster Basic training course that I was privileged to lead years ago, one dad argued, following your reasoning, that anyone (expressly, his son) who wanted to be in OA should be made a member. As the discussion went on, he expressed the same opinion as regards being a Patrol Leader (The job should rotate every few weeks.") or Eagle Scout ("Why should only 1% get it?!). Then, and now, I respectfully reject that argument. Life does not operate that way, and we do not prepare lads for life with the "all the children are above average" approach.. By all means, praise all achievem

It’s absolutely true. I took a group of youth who needed citizenship in the nation through it in my sons troop. I would not do the counseling for record, but I made damn sure he knew the answers. He uses it even now, in political debate, as a starting point. It’s amazing what understanding our Constitution does to shut a blowhard know nothing up.

Yes. It is specifically allowed and no unit or district should be putting in place rules that state otherwise. To do so is to put up obstacles to the scouts advancement and is a disservice to the scouts. From the Guide to Advancement, rule 7.0.1.4: "Approved counselors may work with and pass any member, including their own son, ward, or relative. Nevertheless, we often teach young people the importance of broadening horizons. Scouts meeting with counselors beyond their families and beyond even their own units are doing that. They will benefit from the perspectives of many “t

The problem IMHO is that the system is backwards. The councils primary function should be to support the units. It appears the council believes the units should support the council. The units primary function is to support the patrols. The patrols primary function is to support each other.

Remember that drinking the kool-aid is a choice

Like Venturing, OA is another scouting program outside of the troop program. SteveMM’s SM is looking at it as a troop program, which adds pressure on the scouts. Pressure and boredom drive scouts away. Barry

Go with an open mind and heart. Be Prepared to make some incredible new friends and create memories that will last a lifetime.

@Scoutmom1989 welcome to scouter.com

Our SMs and ASMs keep lodge business out of the troop except to encourage the Chapter Representatives to fulfill their obligations. It's up to the CR to relay the vision of the lodge to the youth. Our adult arrowmen have enough work exhorting adults like me to put some muscle behind he lodge. @SteveMM, your son needs to be plain spoken (both to the SM and to over-zealous arrowmen) and reply "Sir, I have no intention to persue brotherhood this year." A shrug is insufficient communication. Learning to state your position clearly to these types of leaders is a good life lesson

This would have substantive cache if the National Venturing President and National Lodge Chief were the facilitators. With both of those offices, the mentor-ship of both Professionals and Volunteers is a given.

SteveMM, I can tell you as a formally active ceremonial team advisor for the chapter who still attends chapter meetings, our lodge is pushing "HARD", Brotherhood conversions. This appears to have happened shortly after the OA made it simpler to become a brotherhood member, mainly shortening the time required from having become an Ordeal member. An active adult member who has been a SM, Unit Commissioner, District Commissioner, and now our new Lodge Advisor (he's earned and deserves all of these positions), said since this rule change, the intent of the national OA, is to push brotherhood

This is not normal. Being an older arrowman from my ordeal in Sep 1980, been an advisor for three different chapters in three different lodges and a defender of types like this gets me going. I will try to keep this short. Arrowmen are all equal in the lodge and brotherhood is done when and where the scout chooses. Brotherhood just shows their commitment to the order and cheerful service. As I understand, your son is just not ready to accept brotherhood yet based on other interests, ok. I wish others had that insight rather than taking on everything half way. It may be his passive resis

facilitated by a BSA professional. Well that seems odd? National Pro's are so out of touch it's not even funny, this seems like a better spot for one of the national commissioner folks. And to echo some of the other posters, Dallas ignores volunteers and council pro's all the time, what makes us think they are going to listed to what Scouts have to say?

You know, if they really really were interested, possibly "they" (whomever they may be) that are in fact making decisions, policy, and program decisions could actually go out and see Scouts in the wild. I have asked this question to Council Board Members, Scout Executive of the Council, Council Camping and Program chairpersons; when was the most recent time you were on an outing? Typically their answer falls into two areas 1) I was at Jamboree, the Council Event, came to Summer camp for the day OR 2) I was a leader XX years ago. My follow-up is when was the last time you been in the p

I have the same doubts and would liked them to be unfounded.

Maybe I am a pessimist, but why would they listen to the Scouts and Venturers on anything, when they do not even listen to the Scouters who volunteer their time and treasure to the program? Don't believe me, well there is the "Instapalm" survey of 2015 in which 94% were either against (18%) or strongly against (76%) the idea, and they did it anyway.

We're supposed to get Council approval for fundraisers? 😁 We didn't get approval for our spring fundraiser, we just did it.

This is very typical of council behavior. Don't let yourself get upset by it. The more you try to cooperate with council, the more unreasonable they will become. You need to set limits. Once you make them understand that there is only so much nonsense you are willing to take from them, they will settle down and let you run your program with a minimal amount of interference.

For real.... That was my Troop's fund raiser for many years. Early on a Saturday morning, a Troop dad drove his station wagon down to the Silver Spring KK factory. About 6:30am, the Troop assembled in the church parking lot to meet this delivery. Each pair (!) of Scouts and their parent driver, took on , oh, maybe 20 or 30 or 40 dozen donuts and drove off into the neighborhoods. Back then, homes were fewer and farther apart, as I remember. In uniform, we went up to the door and knocked. Generally caught by surprise at 7:30am on a Saturday morning, folks, some with coffee cup

I have heard that reference and don't get me started on that statement. The two could not be more different in goals, aims, and achievements. I did see one (was a Cub Leader at the time) wonder why there was no knot for WB...I swear that guy slept in his beads...

BSA is now discovering what happens when you ignore obvious cyber security risks (like pushing kids to download 3rd party commercial apps to manage popcorn sales). Trails End got hacked and the media is reporting that exposed data includes personally identifiable info like kids' birthdays, full legal names, names of parents, addresses and more. The extent of the data breach has not yet been made public. If you are one of the scouters who let their kids use the popcorn sales app, keep an eye open for signs of identity theft, etc. No need to become a victim twice if you can avoid it..