EagleInKY

For the Cubs, our pack does the following: - Day camp. About 1/2 of the pack attend day camp. More of the younger ones, less of the Webelos. - Webelos Resident Camp - about 1/2 of the 1st year and virtually all of the 2nd year Webelos attend WRC. - Picnic/Pool Party - We have a picnic in a local park and rent the local aquatic center. We encourage them to invite friends for recruitment. It costs about $300, but we charge $1 per head. - Rocket Derby - In August, just before School starts. Getting them back into the fray. Boy Scouts - We continue our weekly troop meeti

I was having a discussion last night with my Scouting mentor (aka my dad), who has nearly 4 decades of scouting experience, served at virtually every level and position and a vintage Woodbadger to boot. He swears by the SM-appointment method, for the very reason I stated. In fact, one of his former troop's is now defunct largely due to the troop electing a poor choice of SPL. When the adult leadership tried to deal with it, a political battle between warring factions of parents ensued. No one came out a winner. However, I still prefer to put it - to some degree - in the hands of the b

I have little to add. I, too, encourage you to not go it alone. We don't have all the facts, so it's impossible to give you perfect advice. But I know that sometimes there are other factors that make "kicking her out" more difficult. She could have friends on the committee, be a member of your chartering organization, etc. All of these facts can complicate the matter. Second, it sounds like the boy is behaving better, but the mom is the problem. It's really unfair to punish the boy and deny him the chance of scouting if he is behaving acceptibly. I've had the cranky mom probl

Virtually every organization does discreminate to some degree. Many worthy, charitible, non-profits require you to be of a certain age to be a member. Can an 8 year old join the Y (without an adult)? I don't know, but I wouldn't criticize them if their rules prohibited it. If the VFW limited it's members to veterans of foreign wars, I would assume they are limited to people of a certain age (old enough to have fought in a war), and are citizens of the U.S. Again, I don't know that they do, but if they did, I wouldn't criticize them for it. IMHO, the majority of people do not view t

I agree that starting with an innocent question is the best entry into the matter. The answer will probably be something to the effect of a horrible SPL in the past that was elected for all of the wrong reasons. Any SM who has been that will likely have the desire to have more control over the situation. I know several that use that appoach for that very reason. A happy medium that I've seen work is to allow the boys to make nominations for SPL (you can set minimum criteria if you like - many troops do.) Then, the SM approves the nominations. He has to approve at least two. This way

2CD - You da man. I was searching for the right way to say it when I saw your post.

trakker - I believe it is the left breast pocket on the suit coat.

I believe that Hibernation for the summer is a good activate. Huh? Are you saying that hibernation is a good activity? If so, I strongly disagree. Please clarify.

You see, Mrs. Smith and others new to the forum, Bob has just taken the bait and made my case. But seriously, this is exactly the treatment that makes people upset with Bob. I will stand before any judge and jury regarding the grant funds our troop received. I broke no law, I violated no policy. Admittedly, my first post left a few points out. Once I was able to clarify them, I feel that I vindicated myself. I received several PMs from people who agreed with me. (I can only assume they didn't publically agree for fear of receiving the indictment of Mr. White as well). A

I've had a little experience with this. I've told a leader to watch his mouth in front of the boys. If he wants to tell an off-color joke or use foul language in front of a couple of his pals that's okay, but not in front of the boys. I had a boy use foul language and I told him that we didn't talk that way. He told me that they did in his house. I told him that was between him and his parents, but he wasn't in his house now. He hasn't done it again. If talking to them doesn't work, I'll agree with everyone else, get the COR to have a word with him.

As SM, I tend to know who is working on Merit Badges. I may not know the particulars of how anyone is doing, or how far along they are, but I do know that they have initiated the process. So, I'll sometimes provide some extra encouragment on those MBs that require the long projects (Family Life is another). I may do it in the form of a SM conference, a casual comment, or in my SM Minute at the end of a troop meeting.

I don't squelch. I like to read what the different posters have to say. And, with the exception of the previously mentioned wheelie boy-wonder, I think all posters have valid points at one time or another. I tend to scan the updates to the posts, and make judgements on who I pay more attention to than others. If a comment is made in reference to another post, I may go back and read it. Again, I make a judgement call. So, squelch if you want, but I like to know what's going on. What I find amazing is that the two posters who are after Bob Whites hide with the most vengeance are also

Mark, As far as I know, a Scout can ask for cash donations to help with his Eagle project. I've known of a few scouts who did just that. He's asking for it in his name for the purpose of his project, so I don't think the normal unit fundraising restrictions apply. I've never been directly involved with one that did, so I'm not sure if they sought formal approval or a ruling from the Coucil.

We don't have any policies regarding this either. I prefer to use those drivers that have experience pulling trailers. I have a couple of dads that have lots of experience towing. Those of us less experienced only pull when necessary.

There are a couple of troops around here that still wear them for dress headgear, such as a for a color guard. They are still sharp for that kind of purpose. But, I agree, they have little value as traditional headgear.

The Council should know what numbers are available. If you have a preference, you should let them know. If it's available, they should let you have it. If you don't have a preference, they just pull an available number out of the hat. That's been my experience.

2CD said it so eloquently.... If they complete the requirement, they get the badge. Our pack does roundup in September, the dens really get going around the first of October, and the boys typically earn their ranks by March. Do the math, that's 5-6 months, including the holidays. It's probably only about a month more time than you have to get them completed by May. Furthermore, in Cub Scouts, you've got a little latitude, as 2cd quoted from the Cub Scout Leaders manual. Sounds like your new CM is struggling to figure out his place. Good luck.

Billr - Welcome to the forum. Oh, where to start??? First, the kid is only 2nd Class. He's got a long way to go before Eagle. Ask how many "Life for life Scouts" are on this forum, and you'll find a lot. He's got a ton of work before he'll reach Eagle. Many things (cars, girls, sports, etc.) can get in the way before he's achieved it. Second, "they" (his parents) can't "check off" on anything. Advancement is the responsibility of the SM & the Advancement Chair. They have no say in what is required. Third, as has been pointed out, active means "active". You can't

I think I've seen in Troopmaster and some other places the comment "Highest rank achieved in Cub Scouting". Arrow of Light is an option. I know it's not official, but I believe the AOL is commonly referred to as a rank.

We haven't come up with a name yet, hopefully this year we will. But we do have the Adult patrol yell. It goes something like this... all the adults start yelling random things like "Don't run through camp", "Where's your patrol?", "Put your shoes on", "Ask your Patrol Leader", and of course "QUIET".... All of these are yelled randomly, on top of each other. Chaotic of course.... It's good for a laugh.

We have a "Parent's Handbook". I try to steer away from words like 'rules' & 'regulations'. The word 'policy' may sneak in their a time or two, but we try to avoid that as well. Partly due to the input from these forums, I've changed the tone of our handbook. It's really about how our troop interprets and implements the eight methods. Here are some quick examples: Uniform Method - We follow the uniform method as prescribed by the BSA. We expect boys to be in proper field uniform at all activities. We specify what is included in that, and when "activity uniforms" are proper

Many Bob? On my three treks, I've never heard of anyone held back, or that it was common in any way. The only thing close to that was a leader who became ill that was taken back to base camp for a few days, only to rejoin us on the trail. I've heard that occasionally a health issue is discovered, but it's very rare.

1. Have you ever allowed a person (scout or advisor) to go on the trip against your better judgment and regretted it? When I was a crew leader, we allowed a scout from another troop to join our crew. We felt we needed the extra muscle on the trip. His troop was pretty inactive and he was kind of an outcast. He never fit in well with our guys. His personality just seemed to rub people the wrong way, but his dad (SM) was friends with our SM. When we got to Philmont and were faced with the physical and mental challenges (as mentioned in a related thread), the personality conflicts surface

She loaded up the committee with her relatives when she began. There's part of the problem. It's not the SMs job to build the committee. I've fallen into that trap in the past, and it's not a good idea. The CC and the COR needs to be responsible for building the committee.

I know there is a thing called a collar butterfly, but I'm not sure how it's used. Of course, there are external stays, that may be able to do the trick.