Oldscout448

Somebody please stop me if I'm wrong here. But, I was told back in the dark ages, that the whole point of spending all this time and effort learning woodcraft skills was so that we as scouts could go hiking and camping on our own. " but what is they get hurt,lost, or stung? What if they meet a skunk? What if it rains,snows, or hails? So we learned first aid, map and compass, the north star, how to tell poison ivy from Virginia creeper, how to light a fire in the rain, take care of our mates, tie knots in the dark, to suck it up and keep going when we hit a bump in the road. It wasn't to get badges as much as it was to be trusted to go out on our own. As boys growing into men that is what we yearned for. To have short bursts of being on our own . They gradually got longer and longer as we proved we could be trusted . Until when we said that we where going on a 5 day hike the only question the parents asked was " When and where do you need to be picked up?" They were treating us like adults because we had been acting like adults. That is what scouting was . For me, my best mates ,and my sons, but I greatly fear not my grandson. and that is what I am mourning the loss of

I don't think is so much tired as the uniform just does not fit anymore. No, its not a weight gain problem. BSA just isnt BSA anymore. At least not the one I so eagerly signed up for nearly 50 years ago. Its not that I expected it to remain static forever, all living things change. I watched a lot of them some good some bad. But its has morphed into something that I don't even recognize.

I am not sure if this is a breaking point or just a worn down point. The meeting starts in 2 minutes and I haven't been able to make myself change into my uni . I can't think of a single reason to go . All my sons have aged out years ago. I was working on training the new PLs about the patrol method, but there seems no point to that since it will be outlawed in October. I've gone from angry to depressed to sad to accepting to grateful for the years of memories. Much the same as when my parents died.

Sounds like V in Vendetta.

T21 programs? Hate the things. Just hate 'em. Most camps have them taught by the youngest staff members, the classes ( didn't we come here to get away from school ?) are so large that one on one time is minimal or non existent. The reqs may say " demonstrate how to..." but there is not enough time for 15-25 scouts to do that so the instructor demonstrates the skill , then signs off everyones book. Because it looks good if everyone passes the class. I have lost count of the scouts who proudly wear their First Class badge, but don't know what a square lashing is. Let me say that again, it's not that they can't tie one correctly, they have no idea what one is ! None. Blank stare. I look at their handbook. Yep, signed off at summercamp. Sigh. So we end up reteaching lashings, knots, first aid, knife and ax, etc. Now I love teaching, I'm good at it. But it's not my job to teach the younger scouts, unless directly asked to do so by their PL or SPL. But its really sad when a Life scout is asked to teach what I would consider basic skills to a few first years, and he doesn't know them either. Because he " learned " them at camp two years ago. Oh I see how it's easier to have everyone get signed off at camp. It looks good when everyone is ranking up, and the older scouts don't need to bother learning how to teach the younger ones. But as Scouters we cheat them when we allow this. The older scouts need to form relationships with the newbies, and this is a great way to do it. The newbies need to earn their badges not just have them handed out for showing up. So my advice is, learn to do something at camp you can't do on a troop campout. Go shoot a shotgun, a bow and arrow, swim in the lake, paddle a canoe, sail. Oldscout I see that Eagle 94 had a great teacher for FYC. Lucky him. I am glad to hear they exist but I have never met one

Understood boy led? Oh how I wish. I started to write up a list of the problems he caused, in the beginning, but let's just say the trek would have gone a lot smoother if he had stayed in base camp. By the 4th or 5th day we just ignored him as much as possible.

I remember doing a whole 50 miler on the AT with no adults. To be fair, the scouts were 15-17 years old And another one at Philmont with an adult who was pretty much useless

This seems antithetical to the very foundation and purpose upon which BSA was founded. Scouts were supposed to actively look for ways to serve, and then do them. Both individually and as patrols. Not sit back and wait for the adults to determine and then supervise the operation. Youth need to be allowed to take short flights before they leave the nest. They need to learn that they can plan and accomplish things without the hovering presence of an adult. The task of placing small flags on veterans graves is well within the ability of any patrol to perform on their own. By forcing them to accept adult oversight we effectively remove a large portion of their sense of accomplishment and self-reliance Another point comes to mind. There is a small park perhaps a quarter mile from where many of the scouts in my troop live. They often walk there after school to play football, basketball, etc. They have also met there on occasion as a patrol to teach scout skills to the new scouts, or practice a bit before the camporee. Now must I tell them that National doesn't trust them to meet in the park where they have been playing for years without two adults watching them? Assuming that they dont do what I would have done at age 16, which is to tell National to take a flying leap , how can I get two adults to take off work to watch them? I have an ASM who could make it after school, he is an Eagle, a Vigil, and taught IOLS last spring. BUT he is only 20 so that's no good.

qwazse, you know the good book better than many a preacher-man I've listened to. Question that you need not answer, is the rest of your byline " showing another beggar where the bread is"?

I guess you'r right, sorry 'bout that

and I thought I was the only one who remembered that ad from the 60s. It made quite the impression on all the kids on my block.

as a first born son I'm getting a little nervous. Should I mark my doorposts?

unless you remove the scout emblem from the pocket. Then it's just another jacket. signed. a rebellious Redcoat

All I know about Magic is that son #2 has spent upwards of $1500 on his deck, and some of his friends have spent $1000 on just one card.

@desertrat77 you seeing this?

pouring the cream soda

Hmm, have a cookout for the parents? Have games for the younger siblings. No adults allowed to cook or clean up.

Unless the girls announce that they think they are boys.

Quite true, yet he is no longer in the scout POR hierarchy. There needs to be a separation, lest he willingly or unwillingly, undercut the new SPLs authority. To this end in our troop we scouters invite the JASM to eat with us on campouts, attend committee meetings, etc.

You need to have the new SPLs back. Be ready to say " Ask the SPL" when a scout asks where they should set up their tents for example. When you have been the leader for two years it may take them a while to mentally make the switch. Make it clear to him that you stand ready to help whereever he needs it. When I was JASM I spent a lot of time training the new QM. Scoutson #1 worked mostly with the troop guide, and taught scout skills like Totin' Chip or lashing as needed. Not all Scouters may see you as an adult just yet. Try not to take it personally. It takes us a while too.

I think we have come to a sad point where we are forced to chose the letter of the g2ss and ... I started to type " the spirit of the g2ss " but it just dawned on me that I don't know what that is anymore. I'm not even sure what scouting is anymore, I'm waiting for the dust to settle. I do know that if any of my sons were forced to pick between their friends and scouting, the uniforms would go right into the trash bin. I have no plans to even read the new guide, I just don't care anymore what the lawyers and national dictate. We will be safe, have fun, make friends, and learn things. If that means doing without uniforms and badges and handbooks so be it. It's worth the price.

well that changed somewhere It used to be up to the SM.

So to play the lawyer here, if scouts in the Panda patrol want to go on a day hike but can't get( or just dont want) two adults to give up their Saturday and tag along. All they need to do to keep the hike from being deemed a scouting hike is persuade a non scout to go along with them?

How about a LDS youth group , whatever they end up calling it, honor society? Hey its never to early to start planning.😊