momof2cubs

Oh Ann, I am SO sorry. I hate party poopers. And control freaks. And people that forget that the ONLY reason we are here is THE BOYS. Period. Dot dash. So sad.

Ok, I am bumping this old thread because we did this tonight at our December pack meeting. First, let me just say that the whole thing was a BLAST!! The boys loved it and had an awesome time! So if you are thinking about doing it, stop thinking and just do it. It's great fun. The way we set it up is we had each boy bring a package of new white socks, preferably already rolled up (to look like snowballs) and also a box (any size, could be as small as a show box, could be as big as a moving box). So we set up a big rectangle using six chairs and caution tape. This was the neutral zone.

Well sasha, it seems like a no win situation. If they don't want to pay you (because they already paid the other pack) and you cannot afford to waive the dues, then sadly, they may have to find somewhere else to be. It's a shame, but that's the way it is. And I like twocubdad's suggestion. Sometimes you gotta be PA with district and hit them where it hurts (the ONLY place it hurts, the wallet. They care about little else)

My first instinct was to suggest that you calmly explain that each unit is an independent body and there is NO way of "transferring" the dues from the old pack to the new pack. Then calmly explain to them that it will cost your pack X amount of money to provide a good program for the boy(s) and that you cannot get it from the other pack either. But after reading fred's post, I am inclined to agree with him. If there is ANY way for your pack to eat the costs this year, it is best to do so. I think that at best, even if you do end up getting the families to pay your dues, it will leave a ba

OK, I am sure but I have to ask, since it's been bugging me for months. Eamonn, what is HWMBO?? You use that frequently, usually referring to...your son's mother? Is it Her Who Must Be Obeyed?? Sorry for the tangent.

bpaisley: are the pictures normally found in merit badge books real (i.e. from actual scouting activities) or just posed ones with models? If they are real, it is possible that since the merit badge just came out a few months ago, they can't find anyone actually doing it before the publishing of the book. However, a UC in my district was very involved in the creation of that merit badge and the district's newsletter has lots of pictures of our scouts pulling an all nighter to be the 1st in the nation to complete it. They are all wearing uniforms!

perdidochas: I'm not an old scouter. But I think the picky eater thing has always been around. The difference is now, parents coddle it. In other words, we did not have parents that micromanaged the food situation on a camp out just to ensure little Johnny had at least 2 of the 5 foods he eats. Disclaimer: I am extrapolating based on observation in situations other than scouting (i.e. birthday parties, classroom events, etc).

OwnTheNight: I know what you mean. The internet is a god-send!

The Webelos years are a pain in the butt. Sorry, but that's just the way I see it. While all during the Tiger, Wolf, and Bear years we are having fun learning and playing, all of the sudden the whole Webelos premise is about academic stuff. I mean, c'mon outside of Outdoorsman, what other pin is not incredibly academic??? I've been in tears for a week trying to make the Scholar pin even remotely entertaining. And do not even get me started on the Citizen one. Ugh. It is my opinion that the whole Webelos thing needs to be seriously re-examined. At a time when we are preparing boys to be mo

AnnLaurel: as dry as the den meeting plans are that they published last year, I fully expect the same with pack meetings. Reading over the den meeting plans, they seem so obsessed with rank advancement, that they have forgotten that it's supposed to be fun too. It is really not difficult to make an achievement fun (except during the wolf year..my how dry are all those achievements!), but this people manage to make it all about ticking off requirements.

jblake: I think there might be lots of kids living with both their unmarried parents? I live in white bread suburbia, so it's easy to forget just how not common most people's situation is around here. The whole two (biological)married parent household may be rarer than it seems. Regarding the food issue: I fully expect my picky youngest son to not eat for a whole weekend when he is a scout. It's not gonna kill him. He will either be hungry all weekend or learn to eat what it is served. I am not going camping (In fact it is one of the things I am MOST looking forward to giving up when they

Huh..this never comes up. Charter dues are lumped in with registration fee that we have to pay in September. Some of us even do it in the Spring before school lets out (I do that because it eliminates one more thing I have to pay for during back to school when as we all know, we get nickled and dimed TO DEATH). If we don't pay our registration when the Scouting year begins, we do not get the book, neckerchief, or t-shirt. We get dropped from the e-mail list. But that hardly ever happens unless someone intends to drop out. So by December, when recharter comes around, everyone that intends

This is something that has been in the back of my mind recently. As a 5th grader, my kid is already pretty swamped with homework. So far, I have not had to skip a scout activity because of school work, but it's been closed. I do not want to use scouting as a punishment. I consider it a part of his education and development. However, I worry about next year. Middle school around here can be oppressive homework wise and by some twist of the school bus gods, it was determined that middle schoolers are the last to be dropped off at home (around 4:45). So I am very concerned about time managem

Interesting strategy. Would love to know how many people actually troll craigslist looking for troops to join? At any rate it sounds like they want to form a traditional troop. And by traditional, I mean one like the old timers in this board remember as having had as young lads. Just out of curiosity: are adult led troops common in North XXXX Area? Would this really be different than what the other troops are doing in North XXX Area?

I'm not taking it as anything. I'm simply explaining that there are many ways to be in this country legally that don't require a green card or a passport. I started my post by trying to understand how the poster knew this dad was an illegal alien. A lot of time people make assumptions. I was just trying to figure out how exactly he knew. And I was also pointing out that lack of a SSN doesn't indicate illegal status, just like having one doesn't mean you are allowed to work here. I think the OP needs to get all his facts, that's all. If in fact this dad is here illegally, I wouldn't put th

Did he actually tell you he was in the country illegally or is it just something that's known around the neighborhood? What makes him illegal? He doesn't have a green card? Maybe he has a visa that allows him to be here? People make all sorts of assumptions, maybe he is just not here in a permanent status...not necessarily illegally. At any rate, the BSA application requires a SSN. If he doesn't have one..it probably won't go through. But for the record: you CAN have a SSN and still not be allowed to work in the US. My mom and my siblings had a SSN through an H1 visa. We were here legally

I just thought of something else: physical disabilities (I won't get into the whole mental disability thing here). At the bottom it says: No council, district, unit, or individual has the authority to add to, or to subtract from, any advancement requirements. At day camp last summer, I met a boy in a wheel chair. This was not a temporary situation. How do troops deal with the 5 mile hike requirement? I'm reading here at the bottom it says: * If you use a wheelchair or crutches, or if it is difficult for you to get around, you may substitute "trip" for "hike" in requirement 1b.

Well Bevah, this is good point. However, I think it may be harder to subtract than we think. That's not to say that some people don't fudge completing certain requirements, but as they are written, most of them leave room for interpretation, but I don't think they leave room for subtracting. For example, I am looking right now at the Tenderfoot requirements: Spend at least ONE night in a patrol or troop campout. Not much room for subtracting there. The boy either camped one night or he didn't (unless you wanna get into the whole thing of what happens if he starts crying and wants to go ho

We have discussed here a lot the difference between the spirit of the rules and the letter of the rules (i.e. requirements. However, it is equally important to remember that we cannot (CANNOT!) add to the requirements. Unless something specifically says "with your counselor", "with your troop", "as a patrol", or something like that, I do not see any reason why something done as school cannot count towards a scouting requirement.

I trust my pack, no question. I trust them to run a good program for my children, I trust them to use my money judiciously, and I trust them to do the right thing..even when ego is at stake. So I have no qualms about donating my time and money to the pack. District? To a lesser extent. District is mainly run by volunteers, but I don't get involved in district business too much, so I don't know them very well. They do seem to run a good program and good events. The DE seems to be under a lot of pressure from above to make the numbers. I don't blame him specifically, but I wouldn't trust hi

As far as our district tells us, cub scouts cannot camp on their own. In other words each cub has to have an adult. Now WEBELOS can camp on their own with a leader. The ratios vary. Our district I think requires a 5 to 1 or 4 to 1 ratio. Now for Day Camp (no overnight), our district requires a 4 to 1 ratio. It is a fine balance between making scouting (and camping) accessible to everyone and convincing parents that BSA does not, in fact, stand for Baby Sitters of America.

I'm in the AAC. It didn't seem weird or controversial to anyone I know around here. Just funny.

In our pack, the dens are on their own. It puts a lot of pressure I think on the leaders, who end up absorbing a lot of costs. Seems wrong to me, but I eat the costs because I believe in Scouting. What burns is when parents have the gull to complain.

Oh please. You know that that's not what we are saying. The only reason this boy thinks he's a girl is because his mother didn't teach him different. This is NOT at ALL anything like having a pudgy BOY, or an autistic BOY, or a runny-nosed BOY. I would welcome this BOY into Cub Scouts with open arms. I think it will do him a world of good.

And to clarify: I never stopped my son from drawing, playing with dolls, or setting up a play kitchen. Him doing those things didn't make him a girl. Not anymore than me playing ball and climbing on trees when I was young made me a boy. Just because this boy wanted a little pony birthday party doesn't make him a girl. He just wanted that probably because his sister had one and having no dad (and most likely no male figure in his life) he didn't know any better. I love the mom's quote "what's the big deal?". It isn't, woman. YOU are making it a big deal by making a big stink, going to