AZOwl

Folks,

Thanks for the input...

Pack...Our Pack and Troop are very tightly linked...and at our last Pack/Troop family camp, we had 37 people...so numbers I suspect will be somewhere between 30-50 people attending. Heading to the backcountry with cubbies is a no-go, so we're front-country bound...The plan is to take the Boy Scouts on an overnight backpacking trip to get them some space and separation, and give them a different experience from the cubbies...

Old Guy...This is for next summer, not this summer. They don't even open up reservations until 5 months out. I did talk to Heather and its an option, but not sure if we want to spend what is really limited time doing a service project.

Looking for advice from our California brethren, or those that have been to Yosemite recently.

My Pack and Troop are planning a Family Camp/High Adventure next summer. At this point, I figure there will somewhere between 30-50 people, which puts us squarely into a group campsite. I've been researching such campsites, and it looks like YNP has several, but they book only 5 months in advance, and because there are limited sites, I suspect that they are booked in a matter of seconds by people hovering over the 'enter' key.

So I am looking for strategies for making sure we have somewhere to stay for 2-3 days, near or in the Yosemite Valley. Traveling 2 hours from the campsite to the points of interest in the Park would not be a good option, with younger kids along, as well as the older kids.

Any fallback campsites near the Valley that would have group sites?

Thanks!

Seeing as how I am from AZ, and right in the middle of the Mormon Corridor, you'd think that religion would come up a lot. But really, it doesn't. Our Pack and Troop is wildly diverse, from very conservative Christians, to a Jewish family, to bordering on pagan or shamanic traditions...And we embrace that diversity.

When I went to Woodbadge, they pounded diversity into us (and this was a 95% LDS staff)...And when I was on staff, with a different 95% mostly LDS staff, I never 'prayed' so much in my life. But that was ok, because it made me expand my own thoughts on religion.

In practical terms, as far as rank advancement and the religious requirements, we intentionally leave it to the parents to complete with their children, and just ask them to report back when they have completed that requirement. We might open with a nice generic prayer, but we intentionally keep it generic.

For boards of review, we might talk about reverence and duty to God, but its always in the context of the boy's own beliefs, and how reverence pertains not only to their own faith, but to the faiths of others as well.

Do the boys talk about their religious beliefs? I don't think I've ever overheard a conversation like that. Doesn't mean that it doesn't happen, but I've just never heard one that goes for more than a couple of minutes.

I find all this concern about churches leaving BSA to not follow what I am experiencing. My pack is charter in a catholic church. When I was informed this winter that the church will not be able to charter the pack afher this year. (Due to the school building being rent to a charter school and thus us not having access and nothing to do with the vote.) The first group I contacted was the other catholic church in town. They not only agreed to charter us but they were excited about it. Even after the vote when I took the paperwork over to the father to sign he was happy the pack would be there. I informed the new church that over half of the members of the pack our not catholc. In fact the boys very from catholic, baptist and muslim. Again new church said no problem.

In the spirit of qwazse's thread about how to talk to the youth about their objections, I'd like to offer this up. This was prompted by a video I saw on CNN about a First Baptist Church in Alabama who is refusing to let their local troop meet there anymore. There was no mention as to whether they were chartered there, or just meet there. But over the past week, I've been doing a lot of thinking about how this all works out, and I put together the following letter to the Pastor, which I will be sending today. Its respectful, doesn't flame him or his beliefs, but does ask him to reconsider his position along biblical lines.

Pastor Walker,

I recently viewed a video on CNN featuring your response to the decision of the Boy Scouts of America to no longer disenroll youth because they have been ‘outed’ as having a homosexual orientation. I would ask that you reconsider your decision based on the biblical teaching of Jesus.

Jesus himself was never recorded as being against homosexuality. Nowhere in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John is homosexuality even mentioned in any form. And according to traditional interpretations of Jesus, his coming and teaching replaced the teachings of the Old Testament, where homosexuality was addressed. In Matthew 22:37-39 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.â€Â

I understand that Paul himself wrote a few times about homosexuality, however, I have serious concerns about Paul. One, he was a convert (in a really dramatic fashion) and self-proclaimed Apostle. He also was not a contemporary companion of Jesus, and while possibly inspired by the Spirit, there is no guarantee that that is truly the case. He could have been a man who was atoning for his previous persecution of Christians by dealing with his guilt through conversion. I’m just not convinced that he is a credible source for teachings of the Spirit.

If in fact we are to follow Jesus’s commandments, in his own words, then your decision to no longer allow the troop to use your church goes against his second commandment. You yourself pointed out that it would be harming the youth by no longer allowing them to meet there. And all of this because of the possibility that a gay youth might be part of the troop. Homosexual persons constitute a very small minority of the population, and the odds that a youth might openly show his sexuality in this setting are really low anyway, given the hostile environment. You are punishing all of these youth for the so-called sins of what likely is an imaginary youth.

If you are committed to a strict biblical interpretation, then I suspect that you yourself, as well as your congregation, follow all of the rules laid out in Leviticus. Either Jesus replaced everything that came before, or he didn’t. Paul states that some of those rules still apply, and some don’t. But who do you believe, Jesus? Or someone that came after him, didn’t associate with him, proclaimed himself an Apostle, and possibly had an unstable personality.

Pastor Walker, Scouting is not about sex, and never has been. Youth and adults don’t go around having sex on campouts and outings because that’s not what Scouting is about. It is about young men learning their path in life, and learning to do their best, according to what they believe. My final question to you is this. If Jesus were here in person today, and was the pastor of a church that allowed young men to meet, would he kick them out because of a single youth? If you can say ‘Yes’ to that, then I think we are reading two vastly different bibles.

The same way I would address this with a family that was thinking about walking away...

Pointing out that this really changes nothing, except that National is no longer forced to kick a boy out because of his orientation. That gay youth and adults have been here all along, and that they might even be friends with them, but don't know that they are gay. It sets things back to the way they were before the 1990's, when sexual orientation wasn't even part of Scouting.

This really has no affect on the straight youth and families whatsoever, but keeps Scouting open for all youth that need what Scouting has to offer. They are not being asked to become gay (which might be against their religious beliefs), but to allow another youth to follow THEIR own beliefs. Its a matter of fairness, and who are we to say that these youth don't deserve Scouting. They are free to follow their own conscience with regards to their own beliefs, but that Reverence goes both ways. They need to respect other people's beliefs, as they would want their own to be respected.

Maybe I'm reading too much into the policy statement... BUT.... I took it to mean that sexual conduct of ANY TYPE is not condoned in or around or on ANY scouting activity. A married couple in a tent on a campout (whether adult leaders or married ventures... wow married yung, but whatever) should be able to keep their private life private around scouts - PERIOD. I don't even show much affection other than a hug and a quick peck on the cheek for the Mrs. when I'm in uniform. Its not the place for it.

 

So far in pre-marital sex (hetro or homo) among teenaged boys... I'm sure it happens given the chance. As long as its not happening at a scout meeting or campout - then really not my business. I guess I've never had to confront a lad who's knocked up his girlfriend right before his Eagle BoR... guess we'll cross that bridge if / when it occurs and IF the committee has knowledge of the issue. Not sure how I'd handle that issue, but I know one thing.... the lad not getting his Eagle award is the LEAST of his worries at that point in life !

 

I do (hopefully) project to the youth that dating and relationships are serious things and that mutual RESPECT and RESPONSIBILITY is very important with regards to dealing with the opposite sex (guess that will include the same sex now as of Jan '14). I also talk with them to consider the ramifications of an unintended pregnancy on their and their partner's future has... college, very hard with a baby.... forget dances and prom and football.... you'll be changing diapers, etc...

 

dean

We also just covered the Family Life MB in our weekly meetings. And while my unit is wildly diverse along religious lines, and I had to tiptoe through the parts about what it means to be a man, and a father, I definitely got the point across about sex being intended for reproduction, and that if they aren't ready to be a dad, then they should wait, because the only 100% foolproof method is not to do it.

Having said that, do I really think that they will wait? Probably not, most don't...But if I can get them to postpone it even once, or remember to think with the head on their shoulders about it, then it was worth it.

Does anyone have plans, if the resolution passes, to form a national organization for boys? Perhaps one that parallels the American Heritage Girls. I am saddened that this resolution is even being considered and view it as an unacceptable compromise of BSA policy with that of world's view.

How is it a compromise with the world's view...Most WOSM organizations do not discriminate against LGBT members.

No matter how the vote goes, nothing will change for our troop.

(Unless my CO gets upset and then we will just find another CO.)

Its an incremental step...Not a perfect solution, and in my opinion just extends the surgery and healing process, but in time I see it passing for the adults as well.

Hey,it wants a message more than 10 character, but the new topic works

I wonder if we can get a homemaker badge, a sewing badge, and an alternative lifestyle badge now?

My wife was looking through our set of Promo Jambo patches for Grand Canyon Council. These are double-sided patches, featuring Warner Bros cartoon characters, and she found one that was inverted...the front is upside down, and the back is right side up. Can someone give me some feedback on how collectible this might be? No way to do images here, but if you go to the patch collectors page on Facebook, I was able to post pics of the normal, and the error patch there.

Thanks, Dean...I did talk to Grand Canyon Council and they said I needed to do the National Tour Permit for both, which I've done for the past two years for the Troop for our High Adventure trips, so that's not an issue. The biggest hurdle was just making sure the Pack could do it. And I agree, the med forms could be a pain, but that's a requirement for going, so folks will just have to do it.

My Pack is really outdoors-oriented...We have three campouts scheduled between now and June...Fortunately, the Pack and Troop are linked very closely, so we just end up doing some joint activities, with breakouts for the Boy Scouts to give them some opportunities that they can do, that the Cubs can't...

Thanks for the feedback.

Bruce

So thought I'd run this past you folks...

I have a Pack and Troop that are tightly linked. We meet at the same time, and the same place, and participate in many of the same activities, where appropriate. Our troop is considering doing an extended trip in 2014, 10 days to Yosemite and Sequoia and that area.

Since several of the families have youth that are in both Pack and Troop, we would like to invite families from the Pack to join with us on this trip as a Family Camp. I've just looked at the Guide to Safe Scouting, and there is no mention of a time limit to a family camp for Cubs, and we are BALOO trained. Each Cub would be required to have a parent with them, and we would have different, age-appropriate activities at the various stops, but would share common meals and campsites etc.

Naturally, I will check with my local council, but wanted to find out if anyone had done something like this before.

Eagle92...I LOVE that Guidebook...You know the old joke about Cub Scout R&D, right? Its not Research and Development...Its Ripoff and Duplicate!

SctDad...Send you that PM...I'm really looking forward to doing this. I've always been a huge proponent of Cubs Camping as a way of preparing them for bigger and better things when they move up to Boy Scouts, and I can think of no better way to retain kids than to appeal to their sense of adventure.

Keep it coming folks!

Ok, so I got a bad case of helium hand and volunteered myself to organize a Council-wide Cub Scout Family Camp...Here's some background...

I was the Camp Director for a District-wide Cub Family Camp in October that went over very well. We had 30 families attend, which was good to start. Had some great volunteers to help plan the thing, man stations, and so forth...This time, however, we are going to open it up Council-wide in order to increase attendance. This is also hand-in-hand with my Council's push to get Cubbies out camping and use it as a retention tool. Council is also promoting getting the various camps 'Nationally Certified', which is not a bad thing, and helps provide a roadmap to success. My goal is to increase from 30 to 60 families attending, and since I am going to promote heavily at PowWOw and Scout-a-Rama, there is a chance we could go well over that.

So, while I do have some experience in doing this based on October's event, I am interested in hearing about experiences you may have had in planning and/or attending something of this scale. Have you been to a Council-wide Family Camp event in your area and what did you like/dislike about it. How many families attended? Did you encounter any "gotcha's" along the way? Did you split boys up by rank or mix all ranks together? Did you use a 'tot lot' for those children under Cub age and how did it work? How did you manage siblings that came along with the family? Did you have them participate, or have separate activities for them? I am also planning on going to Camp School in March for Camp Administration, but the earlier I get things started, the better off we will be. I only have EIGHT months to plan

I have reserved our local Scout Camp to hold the event, so that takes off a lot of the 'find a good place to hold it' issues. We will be following a daycamp model of rotating through stations, with 5 stations during the morning/afternoon, and two hours of 'Family Time' in the late afternoon with some optional fun activities, or the kids can just go and play so kids can just go out and have fun. We will also hold a Boy Scout style campfire ceremony on Sat Evening with the boys providing the entertainment.

So, feedback is a gift...

Thanks!

One of the many hats I wore last year was as a Webelos Den Leader...We had a boy join in Sep, and another one that transferred from another unit in Nov/Dec, plus my own son that had been in since Tigers...And I had no Webelos I's at all...

So in talking to the parents, we decided to fasttrack both of the newer boys so that they could earn their AOL along with my son and crossover at the same time. With parents that are engaged, and with the focus on the program, a boy can easily earn his Webelos and AOL in six months.

In the end, its up to the parents to decide how they want to handle things. In my instance, it was a no-brainer, because I didn't really want to have a den with 1 boy in it...It just means my troop will not have any new boys from the Pack until next year, unless parents want to fasttrack the boys on their own...

Funny you should ask this...We just went through our annual budget meetings last month...Here's what we do...

First and foremost, a Scout should earn his own way. So, we have put together a Scoutfund for each boy (basically a subaccount in the general fund) where a boy can accumulate money to pay for scouting-related activities. The committee reviews the upcoming budget and determines what percentage of popcorn proceeds we need to pay for our anticipated costs. The remaining percentage is allocated to the boy's scoutfund account, based on his sales. For example, this year we allocated 13% of our total popcorn sales to the unit, and 24% of our total popcorn sales to the youth (for a total commission rate of 37%).

Now, we also charge a $20 per year maintenance fee to cover the cost of awards etc, and $17 for chartering. These can be paid-for via Scoutfund account if available. We have found that if a boy sells only $200 in popcorn, it covers those costs 100%. We started the maintenance fee to level the playing field, because some boys were not selling any popcorn and the boys that were ended up subsidizing them.

So what do we pay for? Pinewood Derby cars, Raingutter regatta boats, hiking awards (at 25/50/75/100 miles). We budget $200 for Blue and Gold. We award neckerchiefs to all of the boys that are bridging to their next dens. We pay for a summertime picnic/potluck where we provide the main dish, and a Popcorn Pizza Party, for those boys that sell over $600 in popcorn. We also provide the occasional patch, and last year we paid the registration fee for our boys to go to the District Family Camp. Our average costs, per boy, is $87 annually.

We also pay for 1/2 of the cost of the AOL plaque. Parents pick up the remainder.

Pack also pays the fees for Packmaster, Packmaster dotnet, and Packmasterweb, as well as our internet domain and hosting.

By the way, my Pack sold over $10K in popcorn this year, with 19 boys. We had one boy that sold over $3000 this year, and last year on his own.

Just my input...

Proud Eagle:

I don't think its a LDS vs Traditional issue in this area. We are semi-rural here, with most people barely pushing lower middle class, plus we have a fairly high ratio of retired vs family-rearing households. My gut feeling is that people don't really realize what Scouting is really about, and they operate under stereotypes like helping old ladies across the street, and marching around kinds of stuff. Our Pack has focused on adventure and we get published in the local paper several times a year.

And there are times when I wonder if people really give a damn anymore about how we raise our kids. It seems to me that the values we follow in the Scout Oath and Law just don't seem like they are important to a lot of parents these days. Its old-fashioned, or not relevant to them, so not important. They can't be bothered to spend time with their kids because they are self-centered and self-absorbed. Somehow we have a generation where for many the idea of service to others is thrown out the window so that they can focus on service to themselves.

But, enough of the pity party, back on subject. Most of the service organizations in the area are staffed by elder, non-child-rearing folks, so they are not a great source of new recruits. We do partner with our Charter Org, as well as other local service groups to do service projects in the area.

Kudu:

We definitely focus on the adventure aspect of Scouting for our Boy Scouts. We encourage our boys to go to school on Monday and tell their friends what they did over the weekend...And when their classmates give them crap about being a Scout, I tell them to challenge their friends to step up and do what we do. On the Boy Scout level, we are somewhat limited as we are a young troop and have only one boy over the age of 14, so they aren't ready for some of the High Adventure stuff yet. For the Cubbies, which follows right into the Troop, we developed our own outdoors/hiking program with recognition at 25/50/75/100 miles? I have had Cub Scouts cross over to the troop with over 150 miles already under their belt. I have a 1st Year Webelos that is already over 100 miles (He hit 25 as a Tiger). Oh, and did I mention that for the past three years, I present 'Hiking with Cub Scouts' at PowWow?

Oh, and I was also the Camp Director for the first-ever District level Cub Scout Family Camp...Kids had an awesome time, and we are building on that for this coming fall. I say these things not to brag, but just to show that I totally agree on the need to keep the Outing in Scouting, and that goes from Tiger on up.

I like the idea of additional recruiting patches too...Might just have to see what I can do with that.

And thanks for the feedback...

Yeah, its kinda funny that I recruit at sporting games and practices, but its the most likely place to make that initial connection with boys and their parents. Since many of the boys are single-sport boys, we make the parents aware that there is another option once the sport is over. We also recruit at all of the local town events (Halloween, Spring Festival, Labor Day parade and Festival), and about anywhere else we can. Our schools will not let us come in and do presentations/classroom talks etc, so we are limited to flyers in the school office, which is not real effective.

The larger churches in the area all have their own youth programs ie Awanas, so its hard to get into them to talk to boys and their parents.

We've tried to get in to PTA meetings where we can connect with the parents, but have had no luck so far.

We've also set-up at the Meet the Teacher nights once a couple of years ago, but I don't think we picked up any kids from that at all...The parents were all in a hurry just to meet the teachers and get out.

Anything else? I'm open to more suggestions!

I'll take you one better than that...Every year I author an entire DVD slideshow with music and everything showing our adventures, and each family gets a copy...

Thomas54: Although we are charted to the American Legion, we meet at a local church's social center. They have several rooms we use as breakouts, and a large room where we can all meet together. Dens are autonomous, but are encouraged to do joint field trips where appropriate.

Other options for meeting space are limited, because we live in a small town and there just aren't many options.

I don't think its the meeting place, as it works out fairly well for us...

AKdenldr:

We do the standard recruiter patch for those boys that bring in another boy.

The non-LDS churches locally are pretty supportive, but many of them run Awana's programs, which I see as competition to our program. There's only so many nights in the week...We try and partner with the LDS units locally in activities but so far there's only been limited success there.

I just posted what turned out to be a long rant in the Cub Scouts forum under the 'Where did they go' topic...Didn't see that one before I posted this one.

I just posted a long, rambling message in a different forum (open forum program) that talks about a lot of these things...I struggle with retention and recruitment on a daily basis and it frustrates me...

I'll summarize my thoughts here, though...

The biggest issue with recruitment and retention is not DL burnout, but is parental committment. If we were just Babysitters of America, we'd keep every kid. Drop and Run? Great, we're all over that. But ask them to stay for a meeting? Good luck with that in many cases. But we expect parents to be involved in their kid's lives, and frankly, many of them just abdicate their responsibility to 'someone else'. Let Church, or School, or Sports, or TV, or Video Games raise our children...In many cases, I see the boys having a great time, but the parents can't be bothered to bring them to meetings. I am fortunate to have a good, solid Troop committee with dedicated parents, but my Pack committee is much less robust.

The second factor is sports. In my community, and I'm sure in others, Football season starts in late July and ends in Nov/Dec, with 5 day a week practices and games on Saturday. Baseball and soccer are a couple of lesser time-killers, with 2-3 days a week and Saturdays, with tournament teams and playoffs. How are parents supposed to fit in Scouts with that kind of activity. In my own life, this fall I had my two boys playing soccer, with practices on different nights, karate, with classes on different nights, plus Scouts...It was brutal for about 8 weeks, but at least it was only 8 weeks. But many parents seem to think that Sports will teach boys everything that Scouts will...I know parents that seem to think if there is a sport-season, their son needs to participate in it. Sure, they may get a few things from Sports, but nothing like what Scouts can teach them. But how do we convince them of that? Back to them having to care enough to be part of their kid's lives. In my older son's soccer team, there was a girl whose parents never showed for practices, never showed for games...Guess it was a cheap babysitter for her.

I am the CC of both the Pack and Troop, and from what I have seen, we are almost unique in that the Pack and Troop are tightly linked. We all meet at the same time and place, we have joint Openings, our BS Courts of Honor at held at Pack Meetings so that the youngers can see what the olders are doing. My SM is also my CM (not exactly by choice, but I don't have anyone else to take the position). When the Cub Scouts go on a hike, the Boy Scouts can go along, and boys in both units earn mileage towards their hiking awards. When our Bears transition to Webelos, we make a strong transition. They are no longer Cub Scouts, but Boy Scouts in Training, and part of a Webelos Patrol, and we expect them to start acting more like Boy Scouts, and also to start working more independently, just like they will as Boy Scouts. We are trying to provide a seamless transition from Cubs to Boy Scouts. We use the 18 month Webelos program, but if high-achievers are ready to move up to the Troop, AND are mature enough, they can do so early at the age of 10 if they have AOL.

Another thing we are fortunate enough to do is to keep the same Tiger den leader each year. My wife, bless her, made the decision several years ago that she would stay back and work with the new Tigers, instead of 'moving up'. This gives incoming Tiger parents an entire year to get comfortable with Scouts, so that one of them is ready to take over when it comes time to bridge to Wolves. By the way, she is also the Advancement Chair and Pack Trainer...Who knew it took hours to get belt loops, and rank awards, and track advancement done.

In short, even though my DL's work to provide what I see as a world-class program, and we are doing everything we can to retain youth, ultimately its up to the parents to see the worth of Scouting and invest and engage in their kid's lives.

And let's talk about Woodbadge...I'll be honest, I think WB is at least as valuable a tool for Cub leaders as it is for Troop leaders. If a Cub leader immerses themselves into the Patrol and Troop method at WB, they are better able to tailor how they present their program to their dens to make the transition from CS to BS easier. I'm not saying that Cubs are just junior Boy Scouts, but if we equip our Cub Scouts with the skills they need to succeed as Boy Scouts, we are more likely to retain them. I am fortunate enough to have three members of our organization attend WB and work their Ticket, and they have caught the vision of WB.

So, back to the topic...Where did they go? Even with a world-class program, its up to the parents to see the value of Scouting. If your program is weak, den leaders unenthusiastic, then try and fix that part. But in the end, without parents, we don't have boys.

Looking for feedback, as any good woodbadger does...

I am very frustrated about getting and retaining both Cub and Boy Scouts in our Pack and Troop, but mostly with the Pack...Here's the background.

I live in a smallish town in Northern AZ and am CC for our Pack and Troop. There are 3 LDS Packs in the town, and one traditional (mine). Take a look at my list of what I do to recruit/retain and see if I am missing anything:

I go to where the boys are...Swimming pools, little league games, soccer games, and we set-up recruiting stations at various local events. We are very visible to the community, and are featured in our local paper several times a year. We are not allowed to distribute flyers in the classrooms at the schools, but we can leave them in the office (not effective, I know...how many kids go to the office).

Now, about our program...We are fully-staffed in all dens, ranging from Tigers to Webelos. We offer a year-round program and have earned the Summertime Pack award for the past four years. Almost all the boys achieve their rank. We hike probably 6 times a year on average, Family Camp at least one a year, and do outdoor activities on a regular basis. Pinewood Derby and Blue and Gold are part of it of course, and we do special ceremonies for those boys that are bridging over to Scouts. We budget approximately $87 (from Popcorn proceeds) per year per boy on average in goods and services we provide. There is very little adult drama in the unit, and things run pretty smoothly. In my opinion, we are offering a world-class experience for these boys...

So my question is, why are we not recruiting and retaining boys? On recruiting, it seems like parents in our area place a priority on sports, but we are flexible with that, since we offer a year-round program and most sports are only 8-10 weeks long. And parents that choose to put their kids in sports seem to think that the sports are teaching them the same skills at Scouts...Leadership, physical fitness, sportsmanship. I don't argue with them, but I know that what a boy gets of our Scouts blows away what a boy gets out of sports.

So, we tend to get the boys that aren't involved in sports, which is fine. And those that are in sports usually re-engage once the season is over. But once we get them, it seems like parents are more looking for babysitters than spending time in their kids lives. When some of the parents realize that they are expected to be there and help out, and to actually spend an hour a week with their boy, they stop coming to meetings.

What is your experience in this? Are today's parents just unwilling to engage in their kids lives? When I ask the parents why they are dropping, if I get a response at all (a lot of times they stop coming, and don't even bother to return calls), its because they don't have time, or they say their kids didn't want to come anymore, but that's not what I get from the kids...How do we fight this without becoming Babysitters of America?

So what am I missing? Or have many parents today decided to abdicate their responsibility and allow TV and video games and Church and School and Sports and everything else out there raise their kids for them.

Thoughts? Suggestions?