Liz

"Certificate of Live Birth from Hawaii which is not the same as a birth certificate." Um... I don't know if this varies by state, but here in Oregon, YES, it IS the same thing as a birth certificate. The only other document someone might possibly want could be the original hospital certificate. In Oregon, at least, this certificate is not considered "official" in any way. If one of my boys someday ran for president, and had to produce his birth certificate, he'd get a Certificate of Live Birth from the State of Oregon (or use the one I've got in the file cabinet). If some

Not everyone can just lose weight because they want to. I have a medical condition which was preventing me from losing weight until I finally figured out what the problem was a couple years ago. NOW, I can lose weight -- and I'm working on it -- but BEFORE, I got down to 800 calories a day and the more I cut back, the more weight I gained (and the more sick I felt). The condition I had (well, have, but now it's under control) was messing with my metabolism. My body refused to burn any fat, and insisted on running on what I could feed it -- at 800 calories a day, I could barely stand up st

"ask for nomination" was a poor choice of words. What I meant was more like "be open about showing an interest in the OA" so people will know the interest and perhaps think of nominating. I also had an incomplete sentence in my previous post... that's what I get for trying to post and do fifteen other things at the same time... one of which was to register my kids online for an OA event coming up this weekend. -Liz

Both my sons are in the OA and they love it. You don't hear a lot about it because there's a sort of "respectful silence" (my interpretation) around it. OA members are (ideally) immersed in service. They do not, however, want to ring their own bells or draw attention to this. Service is done for the sake of service, not for the sake of If your son is thinking about asking his friends for a nomination, I would strongly encourage him to do so. Once in the OA, if he doesn't like it, he is not required to stay involved. That's what I would tell him -- try it. If you don't like it, stop. But

"Wouldn't Mom's boyfriend be the Scout's guardian if Mom gives him that role " It doesn't usually work that way. Even a legal step-parent can't technically sign off on things for kids they haven't adopted (although I've only rarely had people question my husband signing forms for my boys). A guardian is someone who has legal responsibility for a child. Mom's boyfriend isn't a guardian. -Liz

I'll consider it an "urban legend," then. Certainly it's not something our local lodges have changed. I have been involved in historical reenactment groups, and I would also be offended if someone called what I have carefully researched and crafted a "costume." I probably wouldn't correct someone, but I'd think maybe they didn't understand. A "costume" is what someone buys cheap or throws together and shows up at an event in, as a costumed observer. "Garb" is what we call the historical *clothing* which has been painstakingly put together based on historical paintings, tailors' books, and

This event is put on by the OA. There will be workshops on making both Northwest style and Plains style regalia. I think maybe I'll email the guy in charge and just ask whether it would be ok for me to participate. Even if all I'm doing is running transportation, I'd rather not have to make two trips! It's about 2-3 hours away. Regarding the term "regalia," I keep hearing different things from different people about what it's "supposed" to be called. For example, this thread from about a year ago: http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=184500 "By the way we are no lo

LOL! No, but maybe I'd like to learn something so I could become one? I know almost nothing about Indian Lore... but I probably SHOULD, right? Actually, as a Literature geek I really do feel like Native American story and mythology are a huge gaping hole in my education. Would "Aspiring Indian Lore MBC" count for anything? :-) -Liz

Well, I finally got: "I guess I'll go if you REALLY want me to go." And, yes, I REALLY want him to go. LOL! I am jealous, though. I might have to tag along if it won't bother him too much. It seems like so much fun! -Liz

Hmmm. I knew parents were allowed to observe, but I just never thought of exercising that right for something like this. I think I'll talk it over with the boys and see how they'd feel about it. I really hate doing anything that might be construed as being a helicopter parent. On the other hand, I'm honestly very interested in the material for this event, and I also really want my son to go -- voluntarily, if possible. If my attendance means he is more comfortable going, and he would either not go or have to be forced to go if I don't, then it seems like a small price to pay. S

It's actually in Oregon, but I suspect it's going to be very good. If it weren't for the OCD and what I call anxiety (although he would rather die than admit he's anxious about ANYTHING), I wouldn't even consider forcing him to go. It's just that I'm pretty much convinced that he's being "forced" NOT to do it by his neurological condition. It almost makes me wish to be an OA member myself, so I could just go along with him. He's not a "mamma's boy" by any means, and once we got there I'd probably not even see him again until it was time to go home... but he's generally a lot more op

I've got a question, as a parent of an OA member, not particularly as a Scouter, and I'm not an OA member myself. Here's the situation: My sons are both in the OA. Our local OA group has a North American Culture and Ceremonies Seminar coming up in a few weeks. My kids both said initially that they didn't want to go. Then I found out they just didn't want to pay for it, because they're saving up for something else (and only one other boy in their troop is attending, and he'll be working at the event so not much time to hang out together). While I honor their fiscal choices, I feel it wou

Heartfelt prayers sent your way. Not only do I have two sons the same age as yours, but my step-daughter went through the whole brain tumor thing several years back. I know it's very difficult. My family will be praying for yours. Please keep us posted. -Liz

I, for one, left the SSN line blank. Neither I nor my children have ever been asked for it at a hospital, so I presume it's not required around here. Each of my boys carries an insurance card in his wallet. It does not include anybody's SSN. I asked for duplicates from the ins. company for them to carry. Although I do carry copies in my wallet, in case of emergency, I expect them to have theirs for medical appointments and such. -Liz

I am still rather confused by the form. The letter from National clarifies one important thing, I think: the limit applies both to any high adventure activity (regardless of how far from emergency evacuation it takes the Scout or Scouter). The limit also applies to ANY activity, high adventure or not, which takes the Scout or Scouter more than 30 minutes away from evacuation. I am still unclear about what they mean by "evacuation." Do they mean 30 minutes to the hospital or 30 minutes to the point where they can begin evacuation (i.e. get loaded into an ambulance). Most ambul

"they are not taking into account for body shape." I'd say they are. I have a very large body frame, and my "ideal" weight, while significantly overweight by most charts, is well within the acceptable or target range on the Boy Scout chart. Then again, my ideal weight (while about 20 lbs heavier than that of other women my height) may still be less than a man's ideal weight at my height. Even given that my ideal weight is 20 lbs heavier than the standard BMI charts would indicate, I'm still a good 30-40 lbs heavier than that. So my New Year's resolution is to start exercising regula

Thanks for posting this!! My boys are going in for their Boy Scout and Sports physical on Christmas Eve. I'm happy to have the new form to use instead of the old one! On my end, I'll have to watch my weight, though. I'm not very far away from the "maximum acceptance" and I've been over it a few times in the last several years. =P And we have one or two Scouters in our troop who I suspect will be over the top. Not that I don't try to watch my weight anyway, of course. -Liz

OGE -- I am not left handed!

OGE, I think I've just found my movie soulmate. =) -Liz

I also go with a qualified "never." In addition to self-defense, sometimes there are safety considerations, and reasonable force to prevent people from getting injured may be necessary. In the other thread, I mentioned my son striking another boy who was deliberately agitating him through repeated use of a racial slur. I did not consider hitting to be an appropriate response to the situation, and my son was reprimanded for it. On the other hand, it was an *understandable* response, and I did not respond as drastically as I would have if he'd hit him after only a single comment. Whil

I thought that was standard policy. Our boys are not allowed to do something only once to satisfy two separate MB requirements. I know my boys attended a city council meeting for a Citizenship in the Community MB, but they have to attend another one to fulfill their Communications requirement. -Liz

I'm with Beavah: I would suspend both boys from this weekend's activities (at a minimum) and remove the SPL from his position. Removing the SPL may delay or even eliminate his chance to complete Eagle, depending on what he's already accomplished and how long you keep him suspended. If so, oh well. If not, hopefully he'll have some time to prove himself before he gets any further. For the younger boy, I would perhaps inform his BOR and instruct them to ask him to explain the situation. If he does not show satisfactorily that he has learned what he needs to learn from this, he should

I, too, am saddened to hear all you've been through. It's so hard not even knowing whether there's "more to the story" or not -- if the Council refuses to talk to you, what are you supposed to do? Have you tried sitting down with your son, and saying, "Now, really, IS there more to the story? Is there something else going on?" (Of course, if the "something else" is unfounded accusations by a 3rd party, your son might honestly not know either.) The other thing to try would be to contact National and see if your son can register as a Lone Scout without going through your local Council.

My own sons are from a mixed b/w racial background, although most of the other boys are not aware of this (you wouldn't immediately notice by looking at them, and their biological father has never been around the troop). Until recently, they were the only not-completely-white boys in the troop. We had one situation on a weekend Scout outing where one of the boys who has some challenges (A.S.) started using a racial slur over and over. My son asked him repeatedly (maybe 10 times) to stop using that word because it was offensive. I don't remember which word it was, but it was getting an obv

Well, I haven't promised to buy the new uniform for him, but I intend to because it was my idea for him to volunteer instead of getting a summer job that pays -- what he really wanted to do. He already has to pay for his own gear, summer camp, activities, Scout dues, uniforms (usually), not to mention the upkeep and maintenance of his trumpet, band uniform, track & field fees and equipment, etc. etc. etc.. He really wanted a regular job this summer, but I pointed out to him that he could gain a lot of great experience at summer camp, and he can put off getting a paying job until NEXT summe