gsettle

After a few lessons I learned to set a cutoff date. You also have to be willing to stick to it. Money lessons are tough. The pack and troop have both been burned by perfectly nice, well meaning parents. One of the big lessons in the Scouting Program is responsibility. If the boy doesn't get it from the parents then where will he get it. Of course your pack/troop can have a 'emergency reserve' for boys. Then they can learn to count on that! Probably the best thing you can do is to make and publish the bylaws that govern membership, awards and whatnot. And stick to them. Its actually easier to tell 'Joe' if the $'s not in then its no-go when written rules are in place.

Eveyone else said it so i'll me a "me too": Get Trained. Its the first, best step.

You have young boys. So IMHO it would be best to help them learn to lead by showing/helping them. Also tell them that you want them to lead. Good place to start is to plan an overnighter. It involves all the leadership positions so everyone will get a chance to start doing their job. I would first meet with the adults and get them to buy into a mentoring role. Meaning they will help the boy so all goes well. But eventually the boys will be able to "do it all" themselves.

Being a new troop be careful not to judge yourselves too hard. There are a lot of troops out there that have been in existance for 50+ years, are rich in tradition and really "get the job done." In many ways you have a wonderful opportunity with a new troop. Your boys get to be "founding members", you get to make all your own traditions and you get to sow the seed that will grow into a healthy, active unit.

Whatever you do, don't give up. Its OK to get discouraged. I have quit scouting hundreds of times. The fact is we all need a break and its OK to take one. A day or two later I am always back at it. Planning the next outing, attending to advancement records or whatever.

Good luck! Hang in there.

Well you have two choices, stay or go. If you go you aren't guarenteed it will be any better anywhere else. Scouting is full of men and women that "are in charge of the world." If you're not doing it their way then its wrong. You might be doing better by staying and working to fix whatever is wrong in the unit. If you leave and no one else speaks out then what happens?

Scouting is a volunteer org. That little simple sentence says volumes. I have found it to mean we have a lot of leeway to make the units "fit" our vision of the scouting program. It also means support from "higher up" is not what you would find in a coproration, for instance. We, as leaders, have to make the units work for the boys.