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I'm sorry fellas, but when a couple of boys are up at 3am, it's time for them to leave the building. I got spare tents (and if not, plenty of tarp and rope) in the van. That last cabin weekend, *I* left the building at 3am because the boys quietly kept the stove stoked, and if I was going to wake up to 85 degree temps, it had better be on a boat in the Bahamas! The boys were not disciplined, plain and simple. That said, it doesn't hurt to talk to the SM and figure out what he's up against. And, be a little forgiving. Like 2C said, your lil' Johnny may have been one of the contributors

Oh, by the way, welcome to the forums! Let us know how this pans out for you.

Congratulations. Now good luck with the "real" ticket. I got my beads at a crew court of honor where another venturer earned her bronze award. Equal time was devoted to each of us. It was a small crowd, but was with the folks who I was proudest to share it with.

I think kids who can tell you they don't believe in anything in particular are some of the most sincere and engaging about challenges to grow in their faith. In practical terms, ask what the CO expects of you. For example, mine -- being PCUSA -- expects us to say grace before meals, and a little devotional if we're out on a Sunday. But, they would not want us to make a boy say a prayer that he couldn't adhere to. I try to talk to the "no particular faith" boys and find out what they are comfortable with. I haven't met any who have a problem rising at the table while a buddy says grac

Boys can be unpredictable. Our troop is mostly older boys, and I wasn't looking forward to our last cabin weekend. But, they were in bunks and lights out before I knew it! Do talk to the SM. Some boys pose more challenges than others. And tents often work better than cabins. If your son is unhappy and it doesn't look like things will be different, changing troops is a possibility. But problems like these come in cycles, the SM may have been as blind-sided by this one too.

I'd like to know, which Native American tribe used black powder to spice up their ceremonies?

Don't discount the girls enjoying the game. Son #1's friends who gather for a game of touch during breaks from college are a mixed crowd.

Welcome to the dark side! The real challenge about football -- especially for rugby and soccer fans -- is all the "starts and stops." Most of the game is spent between plays deciding what to do to that will best move your offense downfield (or stop the opponent's offense) on the next play. Most communities support pee-wee leagues that get gung-ho boys in pads as early as 5 years old! But kids (boys and girls) learn to play "two-hand-touch" or "flag" football in grade school. Instead of tackling, play stops when an opponent tags the guy with the ball by touching him with both hands or

To restate JP's advice: if at first you don't succeed, bail. I'm sorry, 4 years in a troop entitles you to NOTHING. One half year being an honorable camper. Making sure everyone's pack is in order, making sure all other tents are up before pitching your own, polishing those grills, being obsessive about litter pick-up, whipping the ends of every frayed rope, coiling every loose rope, being THE GUY scouts can go to when they can't figure out a skill, cleaning windows and mirrors during the fuel stop, being first gathering kindling to start the fire. And doing all of it with a cheerful

Nice little book.

I know nightmares. This is not one. Ditto S99. Invite them to come camping with your boys. If they come you'll inspire them. If they don't they're in a prison of their own making, and you don't hold the key. The people who really care about the boys won't be mad at you. Everyone else ... Is irrelevant.

I see things a little differently. The advantage of having the PLC think about it is to get that sense of intimidation out in the open. Unlike sports, where an active coach can see which boys are being intimidated, an SM might only grasp the tip of the iceberg. Addressing a kid like Bad Eagle on your own might correct behavior X, but only because the lad thinks he can still keep behavior Y and attitude Z up his sleeve. In fact, this may be precisely why Bad Eagle became so full of guile. He figured that there was a way he could comport himself that nobody would call him on -- if they knew what

I'm a little confused as to what the CD has to do with this. If the scholarship money comes back to the troop, it stays with the troop. In our troop we'd probably add that to the SM's discretionary fund, which is usually used for scouts who can't afford a troop activity. Chances are if the boy needed $$s to go to camp, he'll need fees waived for troop events as well. We want the SM to be able to do that as discretely as possible, and with the discretionary fund it's just a matter of discussion between him the CC and the Treasurer.

Are you certain they weren't Cubmasters or aren't Advisors? BSA is rife with "Multiple Hat" syndrome. If that's not the case, it only takes one DE not reviewing the wording of the requirements to have a bunch of awards in circulation.

Contrition is a learned behavior. A snarky reply wouldn't help him, but if it would make you feel better, you could tell him, "Well, you are a marked man. Can't say we didn't warn you."

Well, you may only have 4 dens. Call those three DL's and ask them what's happening with them.

Does anybody or their youth make their own mess kits? My high school buddies would occupy their time in metal shop spinning bowls. An entire custom kit would not have been far fetched.

Regardless, the strategy is the same: Unaware? Inform the boy that his actions are damaging the morale of the people he cares about, and his behavior must change to reflect care and compassion. Otherwise, he won't be welcome here. Uncaring? Inform the boy that the pathway to becoming a responsible, participating citizen starts with attending to the well-being of his peers, and his behavior must change to reflect care and compassion. Otherwise, he won't be welcome here. Who actually does the informing depends on the cohesiveness and maturity of the boys in your troop, supportive p

Many of my female venturers (including my daughter) were younger-sibling-tag-alongs during those cub years! That may be a little disconcerting if you think a decade forward and consider your daughter troddling off to adventure with these fellas once they begin to resemble the occasional 14-20 year-old boys in your neighborhood. But, on the whole the consequences are more positive than parents' worst worries. Any cub-master would be encouraged about a parent/couple being willing to step up as den leaders! But, you want to be in a position of cultivating leaders among the other parents. Ke

Perd's mentions "unkind, uncourteous, unfriendly" pretty sure that counts as an indirect reference to the law, I think! It's actually a subtle thing that Joe Bob is asking. He thinks the boy should be less haughty and judgmental. Teen-age type A personalities don't always see the connection between pejorative speech and discourtesy. They think they are clever ant witty along the lines of their favorite sit-com, belligerent internet blogger, or obnoxious relative. They could be looking themselves in the mirror and rattle those 12 points and not have a clue on how they are falling short.

You won't offend anybody by turning it sown this year. One thing you might ask is if you could be called out on a different week of summer camp. You could let the lodge or chapter advisor know your concerns.

Supposing none of the boys had a position of responsibility. It is really tempting for adults to make a rule about something like this. Whatever you do, don't! It's up to the adult leading the outing to guide the boys in sorting out who will do what. And how that's done may vary. Sometimes it's a matter of going up to the natural leader and providing short list of things to do in the next hour. Sometimes you have no clue who that is, and it's a matter of not talking to any boy in particular and saying, "I've got three tents in the trunk that could use setting up ..." or "We got assigned e

One of the redeeming features of this new site was the ability to add reply-specific comments. Seems that was removed. Why?

Yep. Replace LNT with OEA for the OAA and take the BS out of the BSA. Hurray!