SagerScout

Well, I'm currently a volunteer trainer for the GSUSA, and have been a troop leader for 5 years, and as y'all know I'm also an ASM for BSA. I've got a Star scout and a Cadette girl scout at my house. I agree with those that say we ought not be playing one-ups on one another; but I also think I might try to simply answer the question. First, please realize there are significant differences between the programs. Like, girls do not have "rank" advancement, recognitions are earned independently of one another (in general). There is no such thing as a registered merit badge counselor in GSUS

Is there anything wrong with that statement? I heard that the "troop committee" voted to collect $5 monthly dues in order to address a persistent funding shortage, caused largely by merit badge expenses on top of multiple startup expenses. FWIW, I think it's a fine idea, I have no problem with it conceptually. Except that in my view, it should have been the boy's vote. (This is what I get for missing a meeting while ill.) Am I expecting too much?

For ill scouts such as Laura describes, their physicians really must be involved in the planning . No leader or parent would want to put a scout at risk, of course, and if there are ongoing concerns about the heart, well, you really can't be too careful. But I have three points to make here. First, I believe your idea of "no great rush" is very valid - I mean, the frail, sickly, underweight or overweight 11 year old may become a relatively robust 14 or 15-year old, you just don't know. A year ago my son had trouble carrying a heavy grocery bag in; yesterday he put a 40 pound bag of do

Well, it's a real problem for me and you'se guys spitting at each other isn't really much help. I know his parents well and they do not mind questions aimed at helping him distill his beliefs, nor do they object to my personal Christian witness. My biggest concern is that he will invest a great deal of time and energy into the program and then, at age 15 or 16 or 17, decide that he really, really is a genuine atheist. Hate for that to happen right before his Eagle board! He frequently attends my church's youth group functions as a visitor. One day he really wanted to go, because

Well, certainly erring on the side of "including him in" would be my personal preference as well, as I've stated here before. But I recently read about scouts being asked to leave the organization that they have grown to love because of their expressing honest doubts about the existence of God (what was that kid's name - they asked him about "duty to God" in his Life BOR and he said he wasn't sure about the whole God thing - and he not only did not make his rank but was summarily booted out of the organization?) My heart breaks for them. I hate to encourage this boy only to have somethi

I know a boy, age 14, who is not at all sure he believes in God. In fact he's leaning against the concept. His parents are not believers, but tell their children to make up their own minds. He's a great kid, intelligent, and generally honest (although I did catch him cheating at Scrabble once). He does not want to be hypocritical in promising "duty to God" when he's not sure God exists. But he sure would like to be a Scout, since Scouts have so much fun. What organization do you suggest for him?

mk9750 - twas nothing... taught my mom how to float like this when she was over 50, she had been a reluctant swimmer her whole life because she "couldn't float." Once she realized that she COULD float after all, she went on to take 6 semesters of college swimming and became quite a good swimmer. She thanked me over and over again as her poor swimming had always been something she felt badly about - it was a self-esteem booster for her to overcome it. (so was the BA she earned at age 55) My granddaughter is the height of a eight-year old and the weight of a three-year old. She floats this

"Wet Gear" was the reason the scout's leader left early without taking care of his scout. I say again, GET A ROPE.

Well, I met a foster parent this past week, an ASM volunteering at camp. He was a really big guy, not fat exactly (although he complained about his weight) but just BIG and barrel-chested. After several chats about his Downs foster son and the little baby they took in, it became clear that his chest had to be that big to contain his heart.

You really ARE the man of Steele! For you - or any of you trying to work with thin kids on the backfloat - try this position: 1) Lungs full of air, since you've got no natural float buoys. Breathe "off the top" of the air. 2) Arms extended over your head, elbows near your ears 3) hairline in the water (in other words, head wayyyyy back, your head is heavy and will quickly sink your body) 4) keep your butt up and knees up, but let your feet hang loosely down from the knees The principle is this: your body with lungs full WILL float. Your arms, head and lower legs and feet will N

FOG - you grasp the issue on the ziploc bags nicely. Bob - I've tried the total change of clothes in a bag but found it an unsatisfactory system as I tend to wash them up as I go, and differential drying rates wreak havoc on the plan as I'd end up mixing and matching fresh from bag and dry off line. Since I go to camp for a week with Class A's, two pair shorts and two t-shirts, and a somewhat more generous supply of underthings - I really must wash them in order not to offend.

All I can say is, find the leader who bailed out on his scout and GET A ROPE! Wet belongings are not a reason to strand a kid at camp. That is just pure-D absurd. Surely someone was able to count the available seat belts without that one leader (using fingers and toes, or little rock markers if necessary) and determine that there would be a problem at going-home time. That said, it seems to me that Eamonn acted perfectly appropriately given his circumstances, as Bob White described far more eloquently than I. Yes, I have had adults bail out on me at camp. But never without an asse

sehicks - Is there any chance that your two same-age sons need to be in different troops? The lack of age difference (twins? or just lucky?) makes me wonder if this is his way of saying I am ME and NOT my BROTHER. Our SM has twin sons, as different in temperament as they are identical in appearance, and my observation is that they find it difficult to be "competing" in the same arena. Also, if there's any hope at all for the camping thing you might try investing in more comfortable sleeping equipment (Sam's has nice auto-inflating mats and if you're in a hot climate a lightweight

Eagledad is so right. Don't plan to lead or do anything. But you might check to make sure that the patrols have the patrol equipment list from the camp materials. And if there are SM meetings, show up, sit in front, stay awake, and take notes. About 4 times my husband mis-remembered times but I took the notes. At the camp we attended, Wednesday night dinners were foil packs cooked in camp (dining hall rest of the time). It said so in the handout before camp. The kitchen issued the food, foil, and upon request, plasticware packs with salt and pepper. They told us in the morning meeting

Here are mine - All from the past week at Bear Creek near Hunt Texas - 1) My son voluntarily giving his cot to his arachnophobic buddy, so that his friend could maybe get some sleep with less fear of spiders crawling on him. 2) By Thursday, said arachnophobic boy allowing a Daddy Longlegs to walk on him; he gave the cot back that night. 3) Our very shy new scout spontaneously inviting a staffer to sit with us. You'd have to know the boy to realize how huge that was. 4) Same new scout readily agreeing to cover for our SPL at the SPL meeting on Thursday. Came back with a full report.

OK, we only had 3 kids at camp, one first-timer, one old-timer (my son, age 15) and one for whom this was his second summer camp. The first-timer was a very, very shy boy who has been in the troop for a while but hasn't advanced a bit although he's met many individual requirements. He likes my son, and his mom said knowing my son was going was the only reason he agreed to go to camp. He and my son bond over video games, which gives you a clue how physically fit he is. Monday, he asked to call his mom, and asked a number of other questions that led me to believe he was counting the m

I said it under another thread, and I'll say it again: almost ANY child that is able to walk unassisted can and should learn to pass the swim test. Many that cannot walk unassisted can still learn to pass the swim test. It's all about stroke efficiency and body position. Many will need extra practice and training. Find someone around your troop with good swimming and instruction skills and have him or her help out. My son didn't learn to swim until he was almost 10 and still doesn't care much for water sports. From age 3 until about 13 he was on oral steroids about half the year to

Well, OK, my SON's jeans might fit in a gallon ziploc but I'm calibrated on my own clothing - and I don't think MY jeans will... not to reveal anything about my weight...

Only been to BSA summer camp twice as an ASM, but in neither case was "down" time a problem. Our more severe difficulty was getting in everything we wanted to do. I've taken girls camping for 5 years and we've never had a problem either. Any kid with a totin' chip, a knife, and twine has plenty to do at camp. Assuming a supply of available wood, you can make walking sticks and hangars for your shirts, a trash holder, a neckerchief slide, a wooden spoon....whatever.... The camp store probably has plastic lacing and hooks, so you can do lanyards if you want. Notice, I said "YOU" ca

OH, too late to help you but for other's reference: to help an ADHD kid pack what's needed without much help from you - buy a box of gallon-size ziplocs or larger, and help him write his packing list ON THE NUMBERED BAGS in magic marker. Something like this: BAG 1: Underwear BAG 2: Socks BAG 3: Troop T shirts BAG 4: Shorts BAG 5: Deodorant, soap (in it's own small ziploc), toothbrush/toothpaste (in their own small ziploc- nothing like having leaking soap on the toothbrush to discourage good oral hygiene) BAG 6: Bug Stuff, sunscreen, first aid cream and band-aids BAG 7: Pen, p

For the most part, clothes are irrelevant. Socks are important. Swimsuit is very important. If the kids swim every day, the soap is considerably less important. In Texas, sunscreen and bug spray are both absolutely essential, far more important than spare clothes or other toiletries. If you have 2 t-shirts, you can wash one every morning and pull it off the line in the evening (so dew doesn't make it unpleasantly soggy). If it's raining, as long as you have dry socks nothing else much matters anyway. One of the salutory side effects of traveling in full Class A's is that you know ev

How wonderful that you have noticed and have concern for this outcast scout! Is his behavior "off" in any way - in other words, can you kinda see why the boys don't choose to be around him? If yes, sometimes a quiet word to the boy can be helpful. In a backwards way, it might be helpful to reassure him that he does not need dozens of friends - but suggest that he might have more fun if he had one or two good friends. You could ask him what he would look for in a friend and see if he has any ideas of what a good friend for him would be like. He might then be able to see his own

1. Cornstarch. Hot and humid climate here. 2. I read on these boards a suggestion for a fleece sleeping bag and have traded the threepound "three season" bag- four down here - for a teeny, cuddly Coleman fleece bag. Fantastically comfortable from too-warm-to-sleep till early-am brrrr, will add it to the regular one as a liner in the cold. Bonus is that it, with my camping pillow, will actually fit IN my backpack with a couple of days worth of clothes. Easier to wash too. Wonderful, wonderful. Thanks a million to whomever said it. I'm hoping they go on sale soon so I can hook up the re

Is she in a small town or something? I could see tackling a troop OR a pack, but both at once could be a bit much. Our CO, a homeschool support group, chartered both a troop and a pack, but only one (the troop) has made it, at least so far. There just weren't enough cub/parent teams to make the pack go. And the troop has it's little problems as well, detailed on other threads, but we're still trying.

Rooster7 - Like you, I don't have that big a problem with the "romance" if that is what it is. I met my first husband when I was a freshman in college, age 17, and he was also a freshman - age 26. BUT - ANY person who is making other staff members uncomfortable with his/her advances is exposing the employer to harassment charges. BSA rules aside, criminal issues aside, if he's been hitting on the girls and making them unwilling to work with him, he needs to be firmly counseled or canned, period, and the sooner the better. And if the girl is leaving camp at night to be with him, that