mls1

An interesting update - the bossy advancement chair resigend her position quite abruptly last week. No explanation given. My husband thinks it's because she was essentially aced out of our son's discipline process. However, I reminded him that she had, after all, said she would not continue once her youngest reached Eagle; his project book is at Council and in the lineup for review prior to Eagle BOR so maybe she's just making good on her earlier promise. Thankfully, we heard this evening that the wife of the travel coordinator has volunteered to take over advancements. She is a very

It is definitely difficult.....this person has been involved in Scouting lcoally for a long time, so most people assume she knows what she's talking about. And most people also figure if she'll take on the work, then they don't need to worry about it, they should just be grateful. She has said that when her youngest son reaches Eagle she'll "retire" from Scouting. He has finished his project and is ready to submit his book for EBOR, so we'll see if she makes good on this. Those of us who've been in this town for a while (this isn't the only organization who's had to deal with her) have

Yes, our DE has been a Scouting professional for over 30 years. He is very good. He would be a great legal mediator.

OldGreyEagle - that is one of our FAVORITE movies. There's something awfully funny about Genghis Khan swinging a baseball bat to decapitate a mannequin in a sporting goods store, while Beethoven rocks out on multiple keyboards three stores down. Would that everyone would be excellent to each other...

We and our son had a very, very helpful meeting this afternoon with the SM, CC, and the DE. The SM presented us with all the information he had either collected or been given about the incidents. Much of it was conflicting, some of it was hearsay, and some was misinterpretations. The DE deftly guided us to look at the allegations, hear what our son had to say, and find a resolution. Our son does have a couple of things to do so as to make this into a learning experience. The DE suggested that our son be the one to start off an instructional series in the troop - he will give a short t

Thanks for spinning this thread, Beavah. This is very helpful. I agree that training is a starting point, and that BSA stuff can be pollyanna-ish in terms of avoiding the hard questions. This reminds me of my church worship work - the best worship, and in a parallel sense, BSA work - occurs when people check their egos at the door and put the greater good first. But egos are mighty demanding things, and seem to always be hungry! So I would add to the Sayings List, "It's NOT about you!" I'll have to remember to ask our DE if that is emphasized in training in our Council.

Crew 21, thanks for your response. You bring up important points. I agree that our son threw his own rock in his Eagle road, and he must deal with that fallout. I think he should definitely be held to a high standard of showing Scout spirit before he's able to submit for EBOR. Of course, I'd like to see all the boys in the troop treated the same. How the SM handles issues is spotty and varies widely from Scout to Scout. Our son has behaved very well at Scouts (at least by our observation), and apparently this incident in December was unknown to everyone until all the supplies wer

Beavah, the charges are some squirrely behavior at a troop fundraiser last December. SM asked the boys in January to tell him in private if they were responsible and it would be kept in confidence and handled. My son - whose conscience is apparently in good repair, thank heavens! - went to SM immediately after the meeting, said he was responsible for part of it, and asked to make repairs immediately. He has not been given an opportunity to make the repairs (a key is required). Unfortunately, SM did not keep the confidence, and the advancement chair got wind of it at the next Committee

Hmmm, I wonder who the CC submitted as COR on the new charter? Those of us who have read through the Troop Committee Guidebook and other BSA references know she doesn't have authority to approve or disapprove such things, but she does it anyway. People who have stood up to her in the past have found their sons' advancements getting held up, so no one stands up to her any more. Thanks for your info. We've told our son to make sure he keeps his nose exceptionally clean and obeys the Scout law to the letter. We've also told him over and over, as long as you've done the right thing, alway

Hello, I am new to the Forum. This seems like a great place to get ideas and help, and exchange information. Here's our situation: My son's troop is dealing with a controlling personality, she's the advancement chair. She and her husband have been able to oust THREE Scoutmasters over the last 6-7 years and we've lost many Scouts due to her meddling. Our problems vis-a-vis organization are similar to many others in this forum. Our CO (Presbyterian Church) is in the middle of a pastor search, and is bogged down in that church's national argument about human sexuality (congregational