Leaderboard

"Tell me about this patch" is far more interesting than "this patch doesn't meet regulation".

Just to be clear ... I never felt bad about uniform police. Given as obsessively as I inspected my scouts when I was an SPL, I could have been called one. No problem, it was usually my dimes or my time that got whatever award I would give to the PL with the sharpest looking boys. But, I would call them on the carpet when they misstated a rule. Like when someone dressed down my scout for not having a standard issue neckerchief slide. I said, "You might not like it, but it is in uniform, plus the knot he made with real rope is 10x more valuable then that stamped piece of metal that

Thanks, Cleveland! I learned a lot from your post,. Never having been a GSUSA leader, I never really knew what kind of rules they followed. "...twice as long as our Guide to Safe Scouting."... Hmmm. I was about to post some snide comment about all the rules BSA scouters have to follow, but for now, I will just be quiet and thank my lucky stars that I don't have to read TWICE as many rules!

You and me both. When I see scouters bragging about their slovenly uniform habits and then making stupid statements about "uniform police" and the like, I have to wonder why they ever joined scouting in the first place. The uniform is one of the methods of scouting. Just like patrol method, just like advancements, etc. It contributes to developing strong values in youth. When somebody sees a scout uniform, they know it represents values like "Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Cheerful, Thrifty, Clean and Reverent." The scout uniform has stood for those thi

I find this attitude to be rather disappointing, and it's exactly the kind of nonchalant apathy that I hope I can encourage the Scouts under my care to overcome. When we look at the uniform as just clothing, with the idea that we can do whatever we want and guidelines be hanged, then we are breeding in our youth the idea that how we dress doesn't matter. This is patently false. How we dress and present ourselves, whether we like it or not, sends a message. It sends a message about who we are. It sends a message about what we believe, and what we do. It gives those with whom we interact as

Put simply, the most vulnerable of our citizens -- our nation's children -- do better on any metric when raised by both biological parents committed to serving each other and only each other sexually and materially in the same home. Everything else is a compromise because the world is a hard place where adults think of themselves first and bringing up children second. Given that so many have compromised the ideal child-rearing, we scouters have had to put up with some really abysmal adults for parents. That said ... we all have also seen some of these same adults manage to redeem themselves in

Last year i was a passive parent in my kids pack until I learned there was no money in the bank and i had to pay all the charter fees for two kids. So, i got committee qualified and held a yard sale. Two weeks from idea to execution- we raised over $1000 . Doing it again with a bit more planning. People are happy to donate their unwanted stuff to a good cause. You can create work for everyone with sorting, pricing, transporting and storage. Has anyone else done this? I'd love to hear other input. i'm flying without a net (and without adult supervision)

I'm confused by some of the logic here. It seems to directly conflict with YPT. We don't tolerate individuals who have sexually abused boys, even if a case has never made its way through the courts, yet we should tolerate someone who has sexually abused girls? This seems like a double standard, not a matter of cultural tolerance.

In many areas, their safety guidelines are similar to what we in the BSA have. But there are some notable differences. One of those areas--and in talking to some GS leaders, this seems to trip them up a lot--is the minimum number of volunteers needed for activities. The ratio varies depending on program level, but it requires a minimum of two unrelated volunteers (note not "adults", but registered volunteers) up to a certain number of Scouts. For Daisies, it's up to 12 Daisies for Troop meetings, and up to 6 Daisies for outings, activities, travel and camping. For Ambassadors, the r

Well, like I said, I wouldn't dare opine as to what the best course of action should be. Address the matter with your local district and council leadership, and then be a good, vigilant parent and keep your eyes and ears open - but keep your heart open too. I have worked with many troubled families through government education programs (Head Start and others), and I am constantly surprised and often moved by the parents who slowly realize their past mistakes and slowly start to change their perspectives and their lives. It might not be immediate, and he might not seem to care about his actions

Now now, let's not be melodramatic. The G2SS only refers to activities which are conducted under the auspices of the Boy Scouts of America. If you are in your own home, conducting the private affairs of your own life, then logically it doesn't apply. But, if you call it a Scout activity and those participating are there AS SCOUTS, not merely as private domestic guests, and if their parents know that they are sending their child to attend a Scout activity, then yes, absolutely, you need to follow the protocols as outlined in the guide. It's common sense, really, and it would be silly to f

Someone needs to enact a BSA by law that says no new rate increases can go into effect after August 15 or 31. Recruiting/registration usually starts with the start of the school year, so we need to know now.

Hmmm. That's actually a useful "life skill". I can't tell you how many pairs of pants or oxford shirts I've tossed in the Goodwill bag just because a button popped off and I don't know how to sew it back on myself and am too lazy to take it over to the alterations shop to get it sewed on. My son taught himself to sew things on his uniform. He was surprised to learn that I was paying the alterations shop to sew his patches on for him. I never told him to do it himself, he's just a responsible kid who wants to do things for himself.

The public position of the LDS Church did not identify the allowing our gay/lesbian/transgendered members (they have always belonged) to disclose their status as the reason for the mass departure. It further has not stated that our welcoming of all-girl Cub Dens and Scouts BSA Troops would have caused them to depart had this occurred before they made their departure announcement. I regard the departure of our LDS friends as unfortunate and regret knowing there is unavoidable economic disruption for those families of former BSA professionals. However, like any other national leadership of Ch

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