Eamonn

I'm happy with the way things are!! Ea.

Having had a couple of Scouts who with BSA Lifeguard that have not been up to par. I wonder if the BSA standard just isn't all it should be? Ea.

Most of the courses in our area seem to be either a little over or a little under $200.00. (For participants.) National collects some of this to cover the cost of copyrighted materials. When I was CD, we charged $200.00. We gave everyone the neckerchief, two T-shirts, a baseball type cap, a 3 ring folder. The course was held at our council camp (Both weekends) The Council didn't charge us for the use of the camp or any of the utilities. A course I was staffing back in 1999, the SE charged us for everything. (The filter system on the pool was running and the electric bill was ginormas) We made money selling extra shirts, photos and a CD of photos taken during the course set to music. Looking back, I really think we could have spent more on food. Our QM was really a bit of a miser!! I used the money from the non-returnable deposits ($50.00) to help people who needed a financial hand pay for the course. (And fill all the spaces!!) I was surprised at how many people seemed willing to waste $50.00 without blinking an eyelid!! I have never or at least I have tried never!! To tell anyone how to spend their hard earned cash. OJ and Her Who Must Be Obeyed do at times tell me that I'm tight!! I prefer to think of myself as frugal!! Maybe I'm fortunate? But $200 for six days, didn't seem out of line to me. $175 to attend the Course Directors Conference, which started Friday night and ended before lunch on Sunday, did seem over the top!! Add to that a six hour drive each way, from PA to NJ and a day off work on the Friday. $60.00 for the cost of the development weekends. $300.00 spent on gifts for the staff and the course fee along with the costs of odds and end (Wood for signs, flip charts, postage and that sort of thing) Being a Course Director is a great honor, but it isn't cheap!! Ea. (Of course given the opportunity I'd do it again!!)

Hi Hopper, How is your summer going? BSA Lifeguard is good if you want to advance in Sea Scouting or work at a Boy Scout camp. Most pools (public) do not recognize BSA Lifeguard is you apply for a job as a Lifeguard. Then again we have a female Red Cross certified Lifeguard, who had to take BSA Lifeguard before she could work at a Boy Scout Camp. Still of the two the Red Cross will open more doors and more than lightly you will end up with more money. Of course as a teenagers you aren't interested in money!! Ea.

For a while our District Advancement Chair wasn't available to meet with Scouts and approve their Eagle Scout Service Leadership projects. Being the kind good looking fellow that I am, I took on the task. I think just about everyone seemed to get the idea of the project being of service. Some worthy organization was going to benefit from what was being done. The thing that seemed to be lacking was any idea about Leadership. There were times when I kinda hinted that maybe the project was just too big!! Right now we have a Lad in the Ship who is working on his project with his Troop. He is supposed to be building a pavilion at one of the towns local parks. It really is a very big undertaking. (I have had nothing to do with it!!) The Lad and his Dad toddled off to the local Home-Depot store to see what donations were available. Home-Depot is kind to us. In part because a member of the Ship's committee is some kind of a manager. When it comes to Eagle Scout projects they always send the Scout to see this Lady. Of course she knows the Lad and his Dad well. Dad owns and operates the local store that sells headstones and grave markers. Dad had a big long list of what he needed, he started to tell her all about it. She told him to "Go and lie down!!" She would only talk with the Lad. Of course she wasn't mean or nasty, but she did a wonderful job of making him understand that it is his project and not his Dads. Ea.

Please don't tell anyone,but I have to admit many of the best times I have had in Scouting have been when there isn't a kid in sight!! Training and training's are a great place for adults to come out and play and have fun. It seems I have now been "Promoted" to the rank of Old Codger? I have been around Wood Badge and Wood Badge Training for a very long time -Over 30 years. I have never attended a course that wasn't fun -Sure some were better than others. I have never attended a course, no matter what position I held where I didn't come away with new ideas and having learned something. Again some courses gave me more than others. Wood Badge Training is great and I'm a big fan. I attended my first course back when I was very young (in my early twenties). As I then lived not far from Chingford, I attended a course at Gilwell Park. We were placed in Patrols and for the week played at being Boy Scouts (Scouts in the UK.) Maybe I was just too young? Maybe I was more focused on the Beads and the Cuckoo Patrol being the best and winning everything? But looking back I'm not sure If I really "Got it". The new course in not the old course. Maybe it should never have kept the Wood Badge name? It is a leadership course. Many people who have attended these sort of courses before do complain that they have "Been there, done that". You really don't have to be a grey beard or have vast Scouting skills to attend. The skills can help, but are not required. If you haven't been. Do give it a whirl. If nothing else you are going to have a good time and you will learn as much from the people (Staff and participants) as you will from the course itself. Ea.

Like many others over the years I have had the odd moan and groan about uniforms. But I really can't complain about how good the return policy is. Anything and everything I have ever send back has been replaced with no hassle. OK, maybe a bit of a wait -But that's about it. Ea.

I for one think many Scouter's, Scouts and the families of Scouts seem to be out of whack when it comes to advancement. Sure a requirement is a requirement is a requirement. Some requirements might be open to some sort of unit or personal interpretation. (I'm thinking about the thread on Pull-ups that ran a little time back.) I'm happy to do my best to ensure that the requirements are met. In fact I can be a real pain when it comes to this. Short cuts, fast tracks - Call it what you like!! If any of these mean that a requirement is not met and are signed off not only go against just about everything we are supposed to stand for and be passing on to the youth we serve, but can also lead to hazardous and dangerous situations. Sadly many of the Boy Scouts who have joined the Ship openly admit that many of the requirements they are supposed to have met, were just signed off. Eagle Scouts with Swimming and Lifeguard merit badge, who have a hard time passing even the basic BSA swim test. Are unable to tie the most basic knots, have no idea how to use any sort of a compass. Over the past couple of years (since the Ship started) it has become clear that some Scouts from the same unit are worse than the others. You might think that this Troop had new or leaders with little or no Scouting experience. That isn't the case. The unit has leaders who do know their stuff, but for some reason they have decided that the Eagle count is more important than anything else. The SM has been there for a very long time. The CO thinks he walks on water. He has hand-picked all the Committee members and they have been indoctrinated into this Eagle count mentality. Any Scout who remains in the Troop past the age of 14 is almost guaranteed to make Eagle. This is both sad and wrong. Still the fault lies with the leaders. I have never served as a Troop Committee Member. So maybe I don't know what the heck I'm talking about?? In the Ship we don't focus on advancement. As a rule one of two things happen. Either the Scout will come to me and say "Hey Eamonn, I think I have done everything for whatever rank." Then we will go over all the requirements. This is very informal!! More or less a what, when and where. If I have missed something he or she will point out when and where they did whatever it was. If we find something that wasn't done we will try and make the effort to cover it in the near future. If there is an area that needs work. I will in a really nice way (almost jokingly!!) In form him or her that we have a way to go before we can sign off on that one!! But once we are both happy that all the requirements have been met and that everything is in order we organize a BOR. The Board trusts me. They know that I'm not going to send a Scout who hasn't met the requirements. When they meet with the Scout, they provide encouragement to the Scout and feedback to me. A lot of times Scouts will tell them things that maybe they don't tell me or maybe they do tell me but I don't listen!! The board is more about the Scout: Who he or she is, where they have been and where they are going than fussing about what a Becket Hitch is used for. Or at times I will see that a Scout has met or nearly met the requirements for a rank and I will remind or give them the push needed to move on. Advancement in the BSA should be about learning new skills and using them, our role as leaders is to provide opportunities to learn and use these skills. This takes a lot of encouragement and some skill on our part. If we do our job and do it well BOR's will be about the Scout not the requirements. Ea.

Our Council is part of a Wood Badge cluster. Along with six other Councils. Back before the 21st Century course came along, we offered one course a year. (Back in them dark ages Cub Scout Trainer Wood Badge was a Regional course.) We now are supposed to offer two courses a year. Sadly this just isn't working. We have a course planned for later this year. Talking with the Staff Advisor this past Sunday, he says that they only have 22 people signed up and things don't look good. If they don't get 8 more by the end of this month the course will be canceled. About the same time another Council in the cluster is also hosting a course (They are about 120 miles away from us.) They only have 15 people signed up. While I'm not a rocket scientist, it would seem at this late date that one course has got to be canceled and participants invited to attend the other one. I do feel bad for both staffs as both have worked hard on the course development. Some of them will have attended the Course Directors Conference, which isn't cheap and isn't a budget item. Sadly so far it seems that neither course is willing to cancel. Both CD's feel that the 120 mile drive is just too far!! Ea.

Much as I hate to complain!! Rory used to like having his ears petted while I waited for the "Timeout" to expire. I suppose you can't win them all!! Ea.

Of course some of the skills we spend many happy hours teaching to the young people we serve will once they are no longer active in Scouting or outdoor activities no longer seem very important. Some will be replaced with new ideas, new equipment or the skill will just no longer be needed. I'm not exactly sure what a "double half hitch" is? But if it's in the book I'm happy to learn it and hopefully become skilled enough to be able to teach it. Looking back on the half century I have spent on the planet, it seems a lot of the stuff that was at one time important or seemed important at some time, now seems of little consequence. All the time I spent learning to play cricket and rugby? Gone!! I haven't picked up a cricket or rugby ball in over 20 years. Venn Diagrams? Oh the happy hours spent on intersections, unions, and other operations on sets. 30 years have past and as far as I know Venn has never been of any use. As an alter boy I had to know the Mass in Latin. Now I can follow along in English (OK!!American English!!) I'm not sad that I spent time learning all this stuff. Some of it was fun, none of it did me any harm. How many High School athletes will still be playing what ever game they played when they have a wife, a couple of kids and a mortgage? How many saxophones that once graced the field are stored in the attic? Never to see the light of day. Maybe? Just maybe people outside of Scouting might think that the "double half hitch " is a little silly. But learning the "double half hitch " and how to use it is a tool that we use. I don't know if being able to tie it or some of the other knots will ever make a huge difference in anyones life? Maybe like me and the Venn Diagrams, it will just be something I once knew and never used. I'm not sure if Dr Foreshaw, my old Math master knew that I'd never use it? I do remember at the time that he seemed very passionate about it. But thinking about it my English Masters seemed very passionate about Dickens, Shakespeare and Chaucer. For out of the old fieldes, as men saithe, Cometh al this new corne fro yere to yere; And out of old bookes, in good faithe, Cometh al this new science that men lere. The Assembly of Fowles. Line 22. Ea

I'm not sure if there is a shortage of DE's? If there is? I'm not sure why? No job is perfect. Most of us would like to bring home more money and not have to deal with people who can at times be difficult or demanding. Still as adults we kinda know that we are not always going to get our own way and life does have its ups and downs. I'm not saying that being a DE is the perfect job, but it is a long way off from being the worst. A week or so back I received an e-mail from our SE informing me that our DE was being promoted and moving to a Council in Connecticut to serve as a Senior DE. I was shocked. I thought that DE's could be promoted to the Senior DE position until they had served 3 years. This Lad will only have 32 months time in. While I do accept some responsibility for him not being very good at what he is supposed to do. As I was District Chair when he was hired and at that time I was having problems with my back and ended up spending a lot of time in hospital and not being as active as I had been. I also feel bad that no one has ever really taken the time to show or even tell him what he is supposed to do. A month after he started the Field Director was promoted, after a gap of a few months a new FD was hired, but he was arrested for doing something to his son's girl friend and went to jail. About the same time the financial difficulties of the Council started to come to light, so a new FD wasn't hired. The then SE must have seen the writing on the wall, as he moved on to bigger and better things. So I do feel sorry for this Lad. This was /is his first real job. He came straight from college. He was told to work from his home office?? Sadly for whatever reason his performance and track record just stinks!! The volunteers never seemed to warm up to him. He has never seemed to really care. The District is now 25% smaller than when he started. He doesn't return calls or e-mails. Not to put too fine a point on it, he just isn't very good at what he does or is supposed to do. We do have a new SE. He seems like a nice fellow, but this is his first year. So maybe we are still in the Honeymoon Stage. No one really has any high expectations from him. Maybe letting this DE go is by design? I do feel sorry for the people in Connecticut. I don't know why any SE in his right mind would hire this guy? I can't help but think that they are in for a real shock. If the Council does have real expectations from the people they hire, this Lad is going to be lost. He will have to shape up or ship out. If he ships out, they will have paid for his moving expenses and all the other costs involved for no real result. Promoting people who are not good at their job? Seems silly to me. Ea.

Running at the same time as this thread is a thread that asks about what knot tying as a Tenderfoot requirement as to do with the aims of Scouting. Give me 20 lashes with a wet noodle, but I have to plead guilty to at times not thinking about the Aims or that good stuff. A lot of the time, in fact most of the time; we do what we do for the fun of doing it. I want the Scouts to have fun, I want them to try new things and challenge themselves. (Yes I know that I have used the "I word" too much!!) Is there a better or bigger payday than having a Scout give you a smile and say "Boy, we made it! It was hard, but we managed? For the record -Sea Scouts still learn semaphore! Our Scouts enjoy it!! I'm not very good at drill, so I asked one of the Dads who is an ex-US Marine to do that with the Ship. He does a great job and manages to hold the interest of the entire Ship every-time he does it. Maybe it's because our Sea Scouts are a little older? But there doesn't seem to be the need for instant gratification, when it comes to getting requirements signed off. They want to be good at what they do, I want to be sure that they have the skills that keep them safe, so the standards are high. Of course some of that is all down to me. Some of them are more lightly to show up for All Night Bowling than they are to turn up to work on the boats! They are kids. Some of them see what we do as being very important and a big part of who they are, while others see it just as something to do if and when they can find the time or feel like it. Of course they have all the "Toys" that kids have today. They can send text messages at the speed of light in a language known only to people under the age of 25! They can carry on a conversation about the latest new video game for hours and hours. Still given the right training and a little shove (Also known as a friendly kick in the pants!!) They will rise to meet any challenge, they will go out of their way to do their best to not only please me, but prove to themselves that they can. Our role is to help them challenge themselves, provide the training and the shove. I used to buy into the idea that our Scouts weren't as "Scouty" as we were. But I don't any more. I think many of the leaders are just not doing what they should be doing. I'm not sure if the leaders don't have the skills? Or they feel they need to fast track the Scouts for some reason? Advancement is only a method of Scouting. Maybe if we could find a way of not making it the be all and end all of everything that we do and didn't make such a big deal or allow it to be such a big deal? We could really bring the vision statement to have real meaning. Ea.

Not sure why? But as I read over this thread, I couldn't help but think of the: "When I was a boy, we hiked ten miles to and from school every day, through the snow, uphill -Both ways. OK, so I was never a youth member of the BSA. Still it seems to me that each generation tells the next that things were so much harder, better, worse.. In the Good Old Days. Old Fred Jenkins would tell me how in the 1930's, when he was a Scout they would load up the trek-cart on a Saturday afternoon and push it fully loaded to camp for a weekend, after working till noon on Saturday. No light weight camping equipment back in them days. While we spend a lot of time talking about "Youth Led" programs. I can't help but notice that if the adult leaders have a particular interest or are skilled in some area that area of interest seems to rub off on the entire unit. (I hate the cold, so I'm not going to offer my services to go on a week long hike in the winter. The Scouts are welcome to do what they want, but my lack of interest does kinda put the kibosh on the idea.) With this in mind if we really think that the program offered is not challenging enough or doesn't provide enough adventure? Who is to blame? Ea.

"How does tying a knot as a Tenderfoot support the aims of scouting? " We the adults need to take time every now and then to read what we promise the Lads who join Scouting. All that good stuff which can be found at the start of the Boy Scout Handbook. All the requirements needed to become a First Class Scout are the key to ensuring that we can deliver what we promise. I really do feel that when these skills are not covered and are not learned by the Scout, we (The adults) are short changing the Scout. He ends up not having the skills that are needed to "Play the game". The Aims of Scouting can be found in the BSA Vision Statement: The Boy Scouts of America is the nation's foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. In the future Scouting will continue to Offer young people responsible fun and adventure; Instill in young people lifetime values and develop in them ethical character as expressed in the Scout Oath and Law; Train young people in citizenship, service, and leadership; Serve America's communities and families with its quality, values-based program. It seems to me that even the way this is worded, that it speaks of the "Game" first: "Scouting will continue to Offer young people responsible fun and adventure" Then it goes on to say about the other good stuff: " Instill in young people lifetime values and develop in them ethical character as expressed in the Scout Oath and Law; Train young people in citizenship, service, and leadership". Knot tying might not seem like a lot of fun to some people.(I happen to enjoy messing around with rope and line!!)But the Scouts who go on to join bigger and better things do need these skills. The Boy Scouts who join Sea Scouting, have a blast out on the water. The fun and adventure, kicks into high gear. When a Boy Scout who joins has these skills already, we don't have to spend as much time going over this stuff. All the time the Scouts are having a blast on the water, somehow, someway they are still learning and still practicing citizenship, service, and leadership. Learning to tie knots as a Tenderfoot is kinda like learning to open the garage door, before you take the car out. Ea.

Our Council sells uniforms to WB Staff members at cost. As a rule I use this (Or used to use!!) this opportunity to stock up on uniforms. A few years back I was staffing a Boy Scout course, I put on a brand new pair of shorts. They fit fine, but half the belt loops were missing! Needless to say my good pal the Scoutmaster wasn't going to allow this to go un-noticed. That morning on Gilwell Field we had a Belt loop inspection. As the day went on they (The Staff) came up with the idea that Knighting me would be fun. I became the Earl of Belt loops. At that same course I played the part of Timmy Tenderfoot. I like to think I'm not only good looking but along with that I'm in proportion. Some unkind people have said I'm skinny; me only having a 32 inch waist. For my role as Timmy I wore the uniform of the biggest most gigantic staffer. My size 8 feet could both have fit in his size 17 boots. For a backpack I found a tent bag that was used for a over-sized tent. We filled it with the biggest pots and pans from the camp kitchen, along with just about anything else that wasn't nailed down. -Including a gallon jug of washing up liquid. For my bugle I had a length of rubber hose. Someone added a dozen eggs to the "Backpack". The deal was that no matter what I wasn't allowed to say a word -Just make faces and act super dumb?? (No comments are needed!!) Of course the eggs broke in the pack and the gallon of detergent leaked out all over everything, I had to almost dive in this bag to fish the stuff out. With each dive I became soaked in this evil mixture. When the "Scoutmaster" asked if I'd brought my musical instrument, I pulled out my length of hose. I had been trying all day to get a note out of it with no joy. But I'm unsure if it was the eggs or the soap? (I remember that it didn't taste very good!!) Anyway I gave this pipe one almighty big puff, which resulted in a super-sized bubble, which was followed by a very loud noise;I informed it sounded like an elephant in heat. Of course you had to have been there. People were laughing so hard that they fell off the benches they were sitting on. The other staffers couldn't get over that I'd managed to go so long without talking!! Ea. AKA The Earl of Belt Loops

I really don't see that there is a real need for a Lad (Be he a Boy Scout, Sea Scout or Venturer) to have a copy of the Handbook at a BOR. Being as he isn't going to get there without the go ahead from his adult leader. (Be he or she the Scoutmaster, Skipper or Crew Advisor) Hopefully the Committee Members have a good idea of what the requirements are? But are BOR's really about having met the requirements? After all as I just posted the adult in charge has by allowing the Lad to attend the BOR has said that the Lad has met the requirements. I have sat on a lot of Eagle Scout BOR's and have never asked to take a look at a handbook. I do look at the computer print out from the Council, just to make sure that everything is in order. In the case of a Sea Scout or Venturer, who isn't in a Troop and maybe hasn't been active in a Troop for some time. Do the signatures in a dogeared old handbook really mean anything? (Who knows who these people are or were? Who is going to check? Why would they?) I can't help but think someone is guilty of making up their own rules as they go along!! As ever when this happens it is the Scouts who suffer. Ea.

"So, just wondering - does anyone have any protocols they follow, or is it basically just first aid, and wait for the ambulance/hospital to do anything beyond that." Talking as a parent. I'm much happier with the idea that the camp will do what is needed and ship my kid off to the local hospital ASAP. When I was organizing events where there would be a lot of Scouts present, I would notify the hospital in the area (Most times unless this was a Standard that was required.)I'd just have Her Who Must Be Obeyed, who works in the ER, tell her bosses and the local EMT's. - More or less to just give them the heads up. The hospital does have the location of the camp and how to get there on file, so does the local EMT Service and Life Flight. While many who work in the camp first aid station are more than qualified, some are not!! At times a little bit of knowledge can be a bad thing. For work I just had to complete the ASHI Basic First Aid and CPR courses for lay rescuers in the community and workplace. I was a little bit surprised at how very basic it was! When I asked "Why?" I was informed that it was all I needed. Ea.

Of course if a District is fortunate enough to have a strong, working, active Commissioner staff,they (The Commissioners) will see what is going on and can notify the District Key 3.Who can decide on a course of action. As we see so often in the Forum, a lot of people seem less than happy with the support they receive from the CO. It's strange that when I was active as a Key 3 member, a lot of CO's (Executive Officers.)seemed to have no idea what support was expected from them. Of course there is no way anyone can go into a unit like a bull in a china shop -No one except the CO!! At times it seems to me that when a unit is starting to not be as good as it should be, we (The Scouters/District Team) do everything except contact the CO - Who do "Own" the unit. Many CO's have lists of people and know people who can be contacted, but we never ask them! In fact we keep them in the dark until the unit becomes terminally ill. For the most part District Membership Committees, seem to focus on: Recruitment (School Sign up Night) and Starting new units. If we can find a group of volunteers who understand that a unit consists of more than just the youth and the Program Leaders and who would be willing to work with the CO,maybe setting up a nominating committee and bringing in the other District Committees(Training?) When and as needed. It would go a long way to help units that are struggling. DE's can be very busy. But at busy doing what? Surely ensuring that we have open lines of communication and a god working relationship with our CO's ought to be near the top of their list? Our last DE seemed to be good at what she did, the one thing she wasn't good at was starting new units. The best way to not have to start too many is not to lose any!! Trying to start 5 or 6 units and doing all that is needed to train and support them, is really hard work. Ea.

Have to admit to being very disappointed with the lack of Leadership Skills the youth in the Ship seem to have. Many of them who are or were Boy Scouts, even Eagle Scouts seem to have no idea. I think mainly because they were never really given a change to really lead. Over the time I have spent here in the Forum,I think I have used the "Train Them, Trust Them, Let Them Lead" So many times that it really is getting old!! But until such a time when someone comes up with a better idea? I'll just keep using it. The big question you need to be asking is: "Why they are unwilling?" I'll bet that a lot of it will come down to the fact that they don't really know what they need to do. This is where the Training needs to come in. Not just Quarterdeck Training, but more importantly "On the job training" You need to look back at your Wood Badge Training and think about using what you took home to pass on to them. I found that most of our Sea Scouts thought that if they took on a POR they seemed to think they had to do everything. They had no idea how to delegate. Of course when they did delegate, the person who took on what it was that he or she was doing needed to be trained. That of course at times did mean that person needed help from the Skipper (You!!) Over time everyone ends up doing something and have received "On the job training", along the way the tasks do get bigger and they take on more responsibility. Maybe the Ship just isn't ready for a "Full Time" Boatswain? Maybe having a "Boatswain" for each event or activity is the way to go for a while. At least until such a time as they get used to the idea of what real Leadership is and the dividends that it can have for the Scout and the Ship. Your role as Skipper isn't that different from the role of a Scoutmaster -You need to be training them all the time. Once the have "Got it" you can start to step back and Trust Them and Let Them Lead. Ea.

Maybe I'm sticking my neck out? However, if we kinda/ sorta accept that in many areas /Districts that Commissioner Service is not as good as it should be?? Maybe we need to take a long hard look at the role of the District Membership Committee and the role of the DE? Most DE's do seem to put a lot of time and effort into working with and forging relationships with the "Program Leaders", While for the most part ignoring and at times having no idea who the Management Team are or what they are up too. Rechartering would seem to offer a great opportunity for the Membership Committee to see what is really happening. Sadly, at least in our area the opportunity is missed. DE's don't seem to have the time to sit down for a face to face meeting with the Executive Officer from the CO or meet with the COR. Ea.

"If the Order is our Honor Camping Society,..." I thought the OA had changed from the "Honor Camping" to just being the "Honor Society". I might be wrong?? But yet again, it seems someone or some group is guilty of making up new rules/guidelines as they go along. Of course Outdoors is a method of Boy Scouting and the OA is involved in camp promotion and the promotion of outdoor activity. But the idea of some sort of penalty??? Seems a little daffy to me. When it comes to being "Daffy" I think I should know!! Ea.

Wow! How times have changed. Back across the Big Pond, when I was a young Scout it seemed that all the wise and learned Scoutmasters were guilty of smoking a pipe. I'm still smoking. I'll admit that I'm hooked. However I really don't think I fall into the "inconsiderate morons" Group. I do enjoy a lot of things that I know are not good for me. I also enjoy a lot of things that are good for me that young people have to wait till they reach 21 years of old to try. While I don't try and hide anything that I do. (I don't do anything that is not legal!) I don't in anyway "Dangle" my bad habits in their face. No great "War Stories" of past parties. I'm OK with doing what I can to remain within the BSA Guidelines and am happy to follow leave no trace, even if Her Who Must Be Obeyed does at times get upset when she finds butts in my pockets. One of my new pet peeves is finding empty discarded plastic water bottles everywhere (Rory has a habit of wanting to carry them home.) Maybe we should have a word with all the water drinkers? Ea.

Many, if not most (in fact nearly all!) of the Boy Scout Troops in our area have had the same Scoutmasters for a very long time. While of course all of these Troops have and go through "Peaks and Valleys". For the most part, the better (What-ever that means?)Troops remain strong and the smaller and not so strong Troops remain small. Other than the occasional bubble things remain fairly consistent. Packs on the other hand don't seem to remain or have this consistency. I'm not sure if our /my area is abnormal? But, our Packs seem to experience far greater "Peaks and Valleys" Than the Troops do. While I don't have any hard data to back up my feelings. I think this is due to the ever changing adult leadership. Most of our Packs, have at one time had a hard-core group of really enthusiastic adults come along and take the bull by the horns. They do a great job of building Packs up and provide an excellent program that the little Lads seem to really enjoy and that the parents really appreciate. I'm not sure why? But over time this "Core" moves on and some sort of complacency takes over. Maybe because most of the effort is placed on activities for the Scouts and less and less attention is placed on the Pack Management? After about 8 -10 years all the hard core adults seem to be gone. Leaving behind a unit that is in not very good shape. Sadly because this doesn't happen over night, many of us don't seem to notice that it is happening. Ten years back, our little town had five packs, that served about 200 Scouts. Today we have one Pack, which serves about 60. This Pack was a new Pack, which started up about six years ago. Many of the people who started it have moved on to Boy Scouting, some have got involved in other areas of Scouting. The Pack Committee which once met every month, is now almost non-existent. Names on paper have replaced the active Committee members. I kinda think that the "Rot" has started to set in. Even the program and the activities that the Scouts used to participate and seem to enjoy has started to be cut back. For some reason the enthusiasm that was once there just isn't there like it once was. I'm not sure if this is only true in our area? While I do believe that some things could help make us more aware that this is happening. -Better reporting. I'm unsure if this is just the normal course of things? Or what can be done to help prevent it? Ea.

I used to look at Father's Day as just another one of the days that Hallmark or some other card company came up with to sell a few more cards. That changed, not long after OJ came along!! Not only was becoming a Dad a real life changing event; there was this small, tiny, person who really needed me for everything. It also made me more aware of how lucky and blessed I was to have such a super Dad. Over the years some of the Scouts I have been privileged to serve have looked at me as a type of father figure. While maybe it's not good to have favorites? I will admit these are the Scouts who wormed a special place in my heart. While my love for my son knows no bounds and is endless. I consider myself lucky and blessed to have got to know and love these kids almost as much as I love him. Barry is so right when he states: "I love this Scouting stuff!" Happy Fathers Day. Ea.