momof2cubs

Basement: maybe..and maybe not. I think it has to do with the old leading the horse to water thing. I think that parents today are demanding more spoon feeding (not just in scouts, but in everything) and this is the result. However, the boy still has to want to do it and actually get it done. All the camps, counseling, and advice in the world aren't gonna help a boy that at the end of the day, really isn't into it.

The answer might be yes, but I don't blame BSA. I blame living in a country where anyone can sue anyone for whatever reason and, against all common sense, win. Maybe if suing wasn't easy (or cheap) we wouldn't need all the rules and regulations.

Basement: at the very very very 1st den meeting of the wolf year, the dad of a new boy came up and asked if it was ok if he dropped him off. We said no. He stayed for that meeting and never showed up again. If a parent has that mind-set nothing will ever change it.

You know Baden, you ARE right about that. However, I have always felt that scouting is not just about patches, ranks, knots, and camping; but about teaching boys about life and preparing them to be men of character. And this to me, troll or not, seems like a good opportunity for a life lesson. In reading this at face value, I felt like many of you that all this boy wanted was to show the BOR that they were wrong with an in-your-face attitude. I assume that most of us hold jobs in real life. In real life sometimes you have to accept things from people in charge that may not be right or fai

Mark: The tiger dens have to be formed right away. That means they have to have a leader. I will admit that sometimes it doesn't work out. However, we do appoint two co-leaders to each den. So even if one that doesn't work out, you still have one (plus his/her mentor) and usually (although I will admit not always) another parent will get bitten by the scouting bug and step up. It's not 100% foolproof. But like you said, sometimes the good leader is the one that volunteers. Sometimes they take some time to season. Tiger night usually happens about 2 weeks after bounce back night

BD, I am curious why your would say that it is nonsense to pick a tiger leader in one night?

Since you quoted me, I'll do my best to answer. The 1st thing you have to know is that we have a mentoring system in place in our pack. Put together as a wood badge project by our awesome (now former) cubmaster. The way it works is, every new Tiger leader is assigned a seasoned leader from the bear and webelos ranks. This mentor will usually have one or two meetings with the new leader, give him hints, tips, ideas, etc, let him know about the necessary online training, and more likely than not plan with him and do with him the first couple of den meetings. (him or her) We invite and

We keep things kinda simple in the summer, since we have a lot of people that travel, vacation, etc. We count Cub Scout Day Camp as an activity (June). This year we are going ice skating in July. We are in the South and it is almost always just insanely hot in July. We have tried and tried to do outdoor activities in July, but frankly it was brutal and most people didn't want to be bothered. Our school systems starts around mid-August, so our August activities are Bounce Back to Scouting Night and Tiger Night (where we form new Tiger dens and recruit/persuade/blackmail/convince paren

83eagle: age wise my kid would have qualified. He turned 10 last july before starting 4th grade. And I considered doing it because he is already bored to tears with cub scouts and wants to move on to boy scouts. Honestly, I think it's only a matter of time before the webelos programs get changed. There seems to be a general consensus that it is 6.5 months too long.

I can't add much to what these guys have posted already. But I will tell you this: when done right (which I am sure you will), it's a BIG job. And make sure you get along with, or at least are able to work very well with, your cubmaster. Our CC is awesome. But I also know it's a big job, specially during re-charter.

Maybe I should spin the thread..but I just have a quick question. Who is the IH? If it is a church affiliated pack, I imagine it is the priest/pastor/minister/preacher. But if it is the school? Or more accurately, the school's PTA? Is it the PTA president then?

noname: that is true. There's a general rule in ANY kind of volunteer organization: 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. I think in scouting is more like 90/10.

"Some people believe he has alterior motives and just wants to be the den leader." Well..the nerve!! As you most likely know very well, finding people to step up at the Tiger level is very tough. All the parents (specially the 1st timers) have that deer in the headlights look at the organizational meeting. And your problem is that someone actually WANTS to do it??? What am I missing? Is this parent not qualified? Is there something in his character that makes him not fit to be a den leader? And what's the big deal if the parent wants the kid to do tiger again? What's it to ANYO

As far as I knew, the cub ranks are based on grade level OR (not and) age. So if the cub is on 2nd grade he is a wolf, BUT he could be a bear if he's old enough. So as far as the rules go, he can go either way. I think this is a decision that will vary depending on the boy, his parents, and the leaders and what they all feel is the best fit for the boy. We held our son back in the preschool years (he has a summer birthday) so he is older than most of his peers. It has worked out very well 99% of the time for him. As they say around here, your mileage may vary.

It's a tough cycle Scoutfish. My district is LARGE (about 20 or so packs and who knows how many troops) and very well organized and we are pretty lucky to have some fine leadership. However, the district canceled Spring Family Camping because not one leader stepped up to run it at the district level. Next year they are making every single unit who wants to participate in Fall Family Camping to send at least one volunteer to be in the FCC committee. Point is..sometimes it's not just the parents. Sometimes we all get tired.

We went to a BSA-approved camp site for Spring Family Camping. This camp site had a ranger living on site and he had two adorable dogs. He asked us if we would let the dog visit, and we said yes. Well the animals were adorable, BUT we had a number of children that were PETRIFIED of dogs. So you can imagine the results. The poor darlings had to spend the rest of the weekend at the ranger's home. (the dogs, not the kids...although if it had been MY choice...)

If I were the one that had to sign off on it, I would definitely count that.

resqman: thank you for putting it much better than I did. I was trying to put it into words and I wasn't as eloquent, since my argument got cut down. Thank you. I for one, am beyond grateful for scouting. It's a great place for my sons.

Our district considers them "graduated" at the end of the school year. Mainly for two practical reasons: 1. to give the webs one more summer to work on their pins (since most packs cross over in march of the web II year to boy scouts) 2. due to summer day camp. In summer day camp they work on (among many other fun things of course) the next rank.(This message has been edited by momof2cubs)

Basementdweller: I don't mean to be without compassion. I am a woman, but I have two sons. And the thing of it is, is that most of life for a kid this days is much more geared towards girls than boys. Take school for instance. They demand that kids sit still for HOURS at a time paying attention and doing work at their desks. There's only 20 mins of recess. How can anyone honestly expect a boy to do that without acting out? Even sports get girlysized. In PE they can no longer play dodgeball, or tag since someone might get hurt. I look forward to their scouting moments when they can be

Engineer: is that right? Don't get me wrong, I dislike kids that are only half way into it, if you know what I mean. But is it really true that they cannot just do it part time? I can't imagine a Scoutmaster telling a scout: "since you have missed 6 out of the last 10 meetings, you cannot come to the next camping trip where we will do all the cool canoeing/kayaking/mountain climbing" It could VERY well be like you said, but somehow I can't see it? That's always been my issue, that people THINK they can scout part time and it's ok cuz scouting will always be there, while the football/

Ann, while I admire your desire to not leave anyone out, on this one it is just not reasonable. Put yourself in the shoes of the little boy whose birthday is in July (or June or August). Chances are that celebrating their birthday is hard. They don't get to bring a treat to school. They don't get to get sang to in their classroom by all their friends. They have a hard time coordinating a birthday party since it's summer and people go on vacation. I know about this since my son was born in July (July 3rd of all days - makes it extra hard). Now this little boy HAD been looking forward ALL Y

Brotherhood: please don't be offended. I put it in quotes for a reason. It's a PERCEPTION amongst the teens, not the reality. I'm talking peer pressure not reality. And obviously, I do not agree. Otherwise I wouldn't be here and use the name that I use here, right?

I think that with STRONG leadership (2 adults) PLUS involved and active parents, 14 can work, specially at the bear level. They are a little older, a little more mature, and a little more independent. If you were to say 14 webelos, I would definitely think it's doable. Also, the thing is that while a CM's job is hard, it CAN be made easier by strong committee members that help. So it doesn't mean that you couldn't combine the dens and have THREE very good leaders. Nothing in the books that say that a CM can't be a den leader. Besides everyone here knows that with a den of 14, a

Frank said it. By the time the boys in my area are in 6th grade, the sports cult is in full force. They are not forgiving of missing any practice or game for a troop activity. So yes, it's a lot easier to hook them while they are young. Plus there's the whole "geek" factor. If they have already have 4 years of cub scouting, they are more entrenched and less easily persuaded that scouting isn't "cool"