Piedmont

Thanks much to all for your advice and commiseration. Not sure yet how I'll handle the situation, but at least now I know it seems to happen to others as well. Maybe I'm not the worst den leader after all; in fact, I sometimes neglect my job and family for Scouts! I'll encourage him otherwise as eveyone has suggested. Yours in Scouting Aaron Harris Palmetto Council, SC

My wife and I are both DL's in a pack of about 33 boys. We decided to be the "chuck-wagon" on a recent campout to a historic state park about an hour away. As we had a total of about 75 people sign up, we reserved a very nice picnic shelter with fireplace, playground, water and electricity, a huge grill, and spent about a week and $600 at SAM's and Wal-Mart (much of the money was covered by a $5/person meals fee, the rest by the pack). The people who came on Friday were responsible for their own meal, and we provided the next four: Saturday breakfast and lunch: homemade granola, fruits, coffee and juice for Saturday breakfast before a long hike to the Revolutionary War battlefield, a movie,test and patch. Most also elected to make a picninc lunch from the "deli" we set up on a couple of picnic tables to take along (assorted sandwich stuff, chips, fruits and juice-bags). Saturday Dinner-My Webelos II's and I (w/help from some Dads and mons) grilled and served hot-dogs, hobo's dinners (we'd made them at the previous night's den meeting and packed them in dry ice), chips, drinks and fixin's under the picinic shelter. After a delicious meal, our CM and his Webelos I's hosted a flag retirement ceremony, followed by marshmallow s'mores over the fireplace in the picnic shelter, a slide show of many beautiful pics from the campout (our CM is a techno-weenie!), and even a camp movie w/hot cocoa on a cold early spring night. Sunday breakfast was just assorted cakes and muffins, fruits, leftover granola, juice and coffee (w'a fire sale on leftovers!)followed by a short inter-faith service provided by our ACM. Were we exhausted? You bet!!! But parents knew ahead of time that all were expected to chip in and help, and nearly all did! Having the meals together DEFINITELY helped us follow a very ambitious activity schedule and helped the Pack bind together in an amazing way. Many said it was our best campout ever! So, yes, get the BALOO training, scout your facilities ahead of time, plan meticulously but be ready to roll with the punches. Give people jobs matching their talents; my wife and I are good with advance planning and logisitics, while another DL is a genius for council paperwork and planning/executing fun activities for the boys. I'm still high on that campout a month later. If anyone wants a copy of the publicity/info. handout we distributed at the previous month's Pack meeting (I spent weeks on it, and it worked very well!), e-mail me at [email protected]. Piedmont

ALL Webelos Pins earned must be completed in a den setting? What about Traveler, or the weekly Meal Plan in Fitness,or Family member, Scholar, etc.? I give mine a list of these "Summer Pins" (my term) to earn with their families, as that is what they seem to be clearly geared for. Same for Christmas or other holidays. I just have to trust my parents. I can't believe these types of pins can't be done by conscientious parents. Piedmont

Thanks for the advice, Torveaux and Scoutnut. I guess we all compete with sports, piano lessons, and uninvolved parents whose lives don't revolve around Scouts (imagine that!)My problem is that I take that lack of involvement/dedication too personally (both my boys are Scouts, even my wife is a den leader). But you're right, Torveaux; sometimes even your "good" parents will mess up your carefully contrived advancement plans. It's like herding cats! As for a discussion with the parents, it's all I can do to catch them every couple of months for a few seconds after a Pack meeting. When I call, I'm usually told that the parents are "too busy" to talk with me, and my advancement reports are routinely taken home by the boy and promptly lost. I just need to recite the serenity prayer...I have sent them a civil (but honest) letter concerning this, as I can't get through any other way. I fully expect it to be ignored. Aaron

Hi all-I'm a newbie here, a Webelos den leader in the Southeast, and I have a problem. Of the four boys in my den who will be crossing over this month (one of whom is my son), only one will NOT be receiving his Arrow of Light. This boy is probably my favorite scout, definitely the most well-behaved and "Scout-like" in my den, but I have had problems with his parents since the beginning! They NEVER show up for den meetings, and often even drop him off at Pack meetings (a big no no!). Though I am also a high-school teacher who has taught oral and written English communications for years, I have essentially washed my hands of these "parents," who have ignored every plea for diligence with the AOL process. Despite a year and a half's worth of printed activity schedules, ignored e-mails and unanswered phone messages, Excel achievement spreadsheets with notes and highlighted deficiencies, the boy is still missing several required pins, our overnight campout, etc., etc...I rarely give up on a kid, but I have given up on his parents, as he's only 11 and and obviously can't drive to our activities! To complicate matters, he is the one black boy in our den of 3 white boys (not an issue with me, but as you know, preception trumps reality every time...)Sorry for the tirade, but I have "fudged" on most of the pins he has earned, as he often misses the all-important "Wrap-up" meetings, but I'm not giving in on this one. As I'm going back next year to pick up my younger son's Bear den, I guess my question is, have any of you encountered this problem before, and if so, how do you handle an issue like this? I've agonized/lost sleep over this one. HELP! Thanks in advance for any advice. Piedmont