Eagledad

Well, if he is as Gern discribes, I would let him stay. There is a lot of game playing in divorces today and this situation is surprisingly common. And I think myself very picky about adults who role model my sons and my scouts. Barry

Chuck it up to any drill and cut them down with a file or sandpaper. Ive never had to narrow them down as much as you want, but Ive trimmed and tuned many wheels with this method. I dont think it will take you very long with a heavy grit paper and then you can smooth them out with smaller grit when you get close to the width you want. Each wheel will be very balanced. Even with narrow tires, I think most or your speed will still come from how you dress and polish your axles. Barry

Hi All A good friend of mine who had been a SM for about year once called me and asked for advice. He asked me how I made campouts fun. He then told me how their troop works on scouts skills all weekend long and the scouts and the other adults were really starting to hate it. I asked him where he got the idea that scouts were supposed to work on scout skills the whole campout. He said at Scout Leader Training. I can kind of see that with his troop. Neither he nor any of his adults were ever scouts. The Scout Master Training (before the now present syllabus) was a full weekend of skills and lectures for the adults. He just didnt know. But come on. I agree that the purpose part of the program is indeed the challenge for adults. Still we need to remind each other that if it is not fun, the scouts arent going to come. I think we adults need to find indicators that tell us we are going the right direction. When we started our new troop, Fun was our first priority. That is easy to say, but what does that mean? Maybe it means just reminding ourselves of it. Still, our troop is one of the few around here that doesnt plan meetings or campouts specific to entertain or impress Webelos. Our motto is What you see is what you get. That can be a lot of pressure for a troop, but we averaged 25 new scouts a year the first five years. My son (now 24) reminded me the other day that our troop was so busy having fun that usually all the scouts were asleep by 10:00 because they were wiped out. I remember that because as a Scoutmasters treat, I would provide a Cracker Barrow for the Scouts after our Campfire and only a few scouts would come. When I asked why, they were tired and in their tents. I remember one campout where the guys planned a kind of Triathlon that required the scouts to hiked, biked and canoe about ten miles with 15 skills competition stops along the way. At the last minute about 15 Webelos and half that many parents asked to come on the campout. It was a challenge for our ASPLs because they had to plan menus and rent another trailer for the bikes. But, those guys played so hard Saturday that they were exhausted Sunday (the Webelos parents could barely walk). In fact the whole troop was so tired the PLC canceled our usual capture the flag and we left early. I was worried we may not get any of those Webelos, but on the contrary, they had never had so much fun and we got them plus their friends. Sometimes we talk about how the scouts dont seem to come up with new ideas for activities. That is when the adults have to fill in the blanks with there FUN ideas. Realaly they dont have to be complicated. You just have to dare to be different. Move the Troop Meeting at a different location like the local park. Call the fire department and ask they could just happen to bring their fire truck by at one meeting. Some of our guys were working on the Automobile Maintenance (I think that is what it is called) and they came up with the idea of doing a hot rod car show at one of the meetings. I would have never thought of that and neither did our PLC. But they like the idea so much that they took the suggestion and change that months schedule. Great discussion, but Eamonn always seems to know what to talk about. I love this scouting stuff. Barry

Great Day All >>There can be times when it crosses over to leadership, etc. teaching the other scouts the correct MB book check-out or maybe talking to the other scouts about correct advancement recording.

>>On whose plate resides the responsibility to make Scribe, Historian, Chaplain's Aide et al a viable position that teaches leadership and responsibility?

>>Do a Google on Perfect N or Partial Perfect N races. They run every boy on every lane, and if you have the time, against every other boy. If you are running a 3 lane track, each boy runs at LEAST 3 races, usually 6 or more. They have fun, don't get bored and everyone goes home happy.

While I would not lay this problem on the back of a scout, I do think there is an opportunity for the troop here. Maybe its time to ask an adult develop a Sunday service for scouts to lead. Im not much on Scouts Own because they are rather bland (boring) and seem to miss the point. Instead I have seen great responses with troops that do a service of a different religion at each campout. As for the mother, I think there is information in your Wood Badge stuff that you can show her. Barry

Happy New Year All >>I typcially talk to the parents and the boy separately and get them to agree to make a commitment without causing pain and suffering along the way.

Hi all >>As noted, they are not likely to "grab the bull by the horns so to speak". Why should they? In every other aspect of the lives, adults run the show, and that's their expectation.

Blessed New Year All I think this is a great question. My personal goal for our troop (all the adults and scouts knew this) was to develop a troop where the scouts could run the program for a full month without the adults ever showing up. We didn't get there while I was SM. While I think that vision is rare, I know of a lot of adults across the county with that same goal. You can't really take the adults out of the scouting program because wisdom from life's experience is a required ingredient to fuel growth. However, you would be surprised how little adult interaction is required in a mature functioning program. I love this scouting stuff. Barry

Happy New All >>the scoutmaster himself would cook the first meal of the next outing for the winning patrol (He was a REALLY good cook!)>> The Scoutmaster who replaced me did kind of the same thing except he wasn't a great cook. So he did the Patrol's KP for Saturday nights dinner. It worked very well. Ahhh I love this scouting stuff. Barry

Potluck cobbler

Beautiful Sunday All >>and we have more boys age out of the troop (at whatever rank) than just Eagle-and-out, which says something to me about the appropriateness of the level of adventure.

Happy Snow Days All >>Kids may not have changed but their behavior has and much of that is the fault of the parents.

Hi jwall. Is there another troop that you would consider? Go out and get a SM Handbook to get better idea of what the BSA expects from the SM. Unit Adult dynamics are interesting. It is hard to understand why we behave the way we do, and I've been amazed how blind we can be to our own distructiveness. Without really knowing your unit or adults, I can say usually if the CC and SM think as one and the COR allows it and you can't live with the present situation, I think it is time to move on. I would, however, call your DE and District Committee Chairman and give them the facts. At the very least they can suggest other troops. But sometimes they can add a perspective to the situation that you did not know or had not considered. Sorry for your problems. I hope you can get them worked out. Barry

Merry Christmas All >>When yeh consider the merits of a policy or program, I don't think it's enough just to consider its intent. Yeh have to also consider it's unintended consequences.

>>I do of course do my best to remember that we are dealing with young people and while life is better when everyone pulls their weight, doing what they should, this is an educational game where we learn as much from what goes wrong as we do from things that go well.

Merry Christmas Everyone >>She really has a hard time allowing the Scouts (One is her Son.) sort things out for themselves and take responsibility for what they are supposed to be doing or have done.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays All >>I can see myself on the Committee, I guess. Husband has been asked twice lately to take a role on the District. We have both found merit badges we could counsel. Does that sound about right for leaders who move from Cubs into Boy Scouts?

>>I sorta figure that criticizin' the government, even in very pointed terms, is always fair game . One of those First Amendment, American-type things. Especially seein' as how I'm a fairly conservative, Republican-type voter who helped get 'em elected.

Happy Holidays All My bad Beavah, you meant Incompetence, bumbling idiocy, Near total disregard, No strategic sense whatsoever, dodge the last war and fail History class, neo-con chicken hawks, current line of clowns, blind followership in the good way. Folks say our society has become too polarized. Maybe it's just a communication problem. Have a great scouting day all. Barry

>>It is fascinatin' that some neo-conservatives' response to criticizin' the administration over their tactical and strategic choices is the same as complainin' about the weather. Gotta admit, that attitude of blind followership really scares me. And I'm a lifelong Republican who used to agree with Rooster

>>He has since changed his mind on a number of issues since he decided to run for President. Who knows what he would say if asked the same question in Iowa today.

>>Looks like someone has been spending too much time watching the MSM/Drive-by news.

Well, I dont have a full grasp of your troop, but I would consider the idea of making youre old SPL a JASM with two responsibilities; SPL advisor, and New Scout Guide. My thinking is this; your oldest SPL was pushing the troop growth with his leadership and maturity. If you let him stand back now, you might loose that momentum. As a JASM, you can still advise him on a day to day basis, and the challenges of job responsibilities will provide him continued growth. You will still be the advisor for the SPL, but now a lot of what you advise can go through the JASM. I give him the additional task of New Scout Guide because I find guys like him to be very good with new scouts. I dont know if you put your new scouts with mixed age patrols or do a NSP, but by being an advisor, your JASM can advise a TG in the NSP, do the job himself, or guide the new scouts in the mixed age patrols or whatever. And advisor is flexible enough to fill in the gap where needed. It could be a little tricky, but advising the SPL shouldnt require a great deal of the JASMs time, just his experience and knowledge. So he should have time for the new scouts. Which I think he will be great. As for the new SPL, he needs to feel the weight of what he bought with his bribes. Make him grow faster then he is comfortable because the task is really above him. But dont let it be so uncomfortable that he mentally quits in the middle. Just make sure he has stretch marks from his growth. As I said, these ideas may not fit in with your troop dynamics at all. I just look for ways to keep scouts challenged and growing. JASM is kind of that next step for SPLs, and there is no reason why he shouldnt run for the SPL again next fall. In fact I would plant that expectation in him. Hope this doesnt confuse your thinking. Im sure this is difficult. Barry