scoutldr

Agree with the "get a life" response. I think it was a reasonable compromise to get the kids into the woods. The alternative would have been, what, no campout? And that benefits who? I have little patience with today's overprotective parents who think that every waking moment needs to be supervised and programmed. Why did she just "show up"? To check up on you? Tell her that when she takes her turn at being SM, she can run the program her way. If she elects to leave, tell her that her son will be missed and move on!

Reading about the NASCAR promotion above, I couldn't help think about my nephew whom I reported on in another thread. ("ya can't trust the adults...they promised to take us camping but they never did!") We lure them in with NASCAR, but then once they're in, do they ever see or hear about NASCAR again? Isn't that a dirty trick? Kinda like the restaurant owner who sends a pretty girl out on the street to hand out free pizza samples...only once in the restaurant, there's no pizza (or pretty girls) on the menu! As Beavah would say, "Wassup wit dat?"

I'll admit it, I'm one of those t**ds. I'm 52 years old, 5'6, 262 lbs, wear a 2XL shirt and 46x29 pants. Both of my sons aged out years ago. I was out camping in the rain and mosquitoes last weekend with my troop, while their young, slim, trim dads sat on their dry butts at home. Now who's the better role model? Don't get me started.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

OGE, I think we are contemporaries...I was a Cub in the early 60's. Bobcat was a pin that one got upon joining and memorizing the CS promise, Law of the pack, Motto, etc. Then it was Wolf, Bear, Lion, Webelos/Arrow of Light. The Lion/Webelos book was combined. WeBeLoS stood for "Wolf, Bear, Lion, Scout". There were lots of giggles when we had to promise to "be square", which more often than not came out as "be a square."

My 12 year old mentally challenged nephew who recently relocated here hit the nail on the head. He came here after a bitter custody battle to get him away from his alcoholic/drug abusing mother. I have been trying to get him into scouts ... he was in Cubs where he was. His answer, "you can't trust adults. They promised to take me camping and we never went." The kid is smart enough to realize that he needs to avoid situations where adults let him down. The cub pack that I started in 1984 was once up to 150 boys...15 dens. I just got the district stats and the unit currently has 6 registered cubs, and will probably not be around much longer. It breaks my heart, yet we are still being pressured to form new units in the same neighborhoods.

"but wouldn't a single troop of 20 Scouts work better than two troops of ten Scouts each?" Not when it comes to meeting the DE's performance goals.

I have a different twist...what do you do when a BOR member (EBOR at that!) shows up in a dirty t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops? I recently had this happen at my own Troop's BOR, but have also seen it occur at EBORs that I sit as the District Rep. They look like they've just come in off the beach or from cutting the grass! It's especially irksome to me since I rushed home from work and skipped supper so I could press my uniform and make sure that not even a service star was out of place. My opinion is it's a show of disrespect to the Scout. This is an important occasion, and we adults should conduct ourselves accordingly. This should go without saying. Is it just me, or are people in general just morons when it comes to social graces and common sense?

You're probably not going to like the answer. Technically, you can't "vote to change CO". The Charter agreement is between the Council and the CO. Pack Leaders are not a party to that agreement. You can only act as individuals. If you want to leave, you need to resign - individually - and then form a new unit somewhere else. Yes, all of the Pack property and funds belong to the CO, as does the unit number. It is up to the CO how much of it you get to take with you. Contact your DE for assistance. Perhaps he/she can act as a negotiator for you. But be forewarned that the DE's job is to make sure that the unit survives, at least on paper, so you may not get much assistance there.

We recently had reason to scrutinize this requirement. We requested 6 letters of reference and by the date of the EBOR, only 2 had been received, one from a neighbor and one from his Dad. Rereading the requirement, the scout only needs to list the names. There is no requirement that letters of recommendation be received. The recommendation could be obtained with a phone call...or not at all. It's at the discretion of the EBOR chairman. As long as names have been listed, the Scout has met the requirement. "List the names of people who know you personally and would be willing to provide a recommendation on your behalf." Also, it does NOT say "Religious Leader". It just says "religious". Most of my scouts are "unchurched", so we interpret this to mean an individual who can attest to a scout's spirituality and can verify how he performs "duty to God". It doesn't need to be an ordained clergyperson.

From our Council newsletter: There are some changes being made to the Quality Unit Award as of the 2007 year. The Centennial Quality Award, as it is called, is named in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. The Centennial Quality Awards program is designed to recognize units, districts, councils, areas, and regions in achieving excellence in providing a quality program to a growing youth population in America at all levels of the Boy Scouts of America. The new award begins in 2007 and continues until 2010. Each year that you qualify, you will receive recognition for that year. 2007 will have a red background, 2008 will have a white background, 2009 will have a blue background, and 2010 will have a red, white, and blue background. If the award is earned for all four years, there will be a special distinction developed to recognize groups at all levels in 2010. The main objectives for the award are: direct contact leaders complete Basic Leader Training for their position, including Youth Protection Training; to retain a determined percent of our members, recruit new youth, and recharter on time; commit to recruit new adults to be active; 60 percent of youth members advance in rank for Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting or earn Venturing recognition awards, or we improved by 10 percent over last year; youth members had an outdoor experience or one activity per month, and conduct annual program planning and provide the financial resources to deliver a quality program to our members. Additionally, the form allows you to share whether or not you have had visits from our unit commissioner this past year, and if your unit supported the council by participating in Friends of Scouting and the annual product sale.

If the MBC has signed off as "completed", then it's completed. The MBC is the final authority. Why is a scout being retested on a "completed" requirement?

I got one today for the first time. I just installed a new version of Norton.

Summer camps, at least in this area, are very competitive. I would write a letter to the SE and Camp Director of the camp in question, explaining what you have told us. Also explain, that in good conscience, your troop cannot continue to accept merit badges that are not properly earned and you will be looking elsewhere for your summer camp experience. It's likely that the Camp Director has no idea that there is no quality to his program.

My son recently received his degree...a BA in History. Now he realizes that Dad was right...a BA in History is pretty much worthless. But, as he said, "I'm sick of school and just want to graduate and get out." He wasn't interested in math or science because it was "too hard". And if he wants to teach high school history, which was his original plan, he needs two more years of school. Meanwhile, he landed a planning job in local government paying the handsome salary of $26,000 a year. Average apartment rents here are $1000 a month and up, so needless to say, he's still here in Dad's house. Another frightening thing is the apparent financial ignorance that is rampant. As the boomer generation starts retiring, very few have significant savings to sustain them through retirement. A lot of companies are ditching their pension plans in favor of 401k plans which the employee has to contribute to and actively manage if they are to be successful. The generation X and Y workers coming behind us are even less knowledgeable and aware. We're headed for a train wreck as a society. The business world and economy are much different than they were 20-40 years ago. Regular or Super Size?(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

I believe it's been discussed here before that BSA guidelines are that medications are the responsibility of the scout and his parents. Unit leaders are not obligated to take on that responsibility, and I for one would be hesitant to do so. Maybe it's because my wife is a school nurse, but I won't even give them a Tylenol. I hope you're carrying a huge umbrella liability policy.

You mean there are vacations OTHER than summer camp??? As I write this, the Today show is reporting that the average American worker forfeits 4 days of paid vacation per year. Reasons vary, but most feel that if they want to remain competitive in the workplace and meet workload expectations, they just can't afford the time off. Growing up, we never took the proverbial "family vacation" a la the Griswolds. We went to see grandparents maybe once a year for 2-3 days, but that was it. Dad was in the Navy and out to sea a lot. So I guess I don't know what I'm missing.

I thought I read a while back, that with the advent of on-line ordering from Scoutstuff.org, your local council shop now gets the "credit" for the sale. What that means exactly I don't know, but apparently that was the sticking point with bringing online ordering a reality.

Ditto what Lisa said. We are a small troop, so the adults pay their own way. That being said, the adult "patrol" does eat well!

Ok, the suspense is killing me. What's the "news"??? Or do I need a secret password?

I didn't receive it and have no idea what you're talking about. Looks like we have a class action, nldscout!

Wow, wonder what that was all about? That's what I get for not visiting every thread. I was wondering how the sizes are running? I am, shall we say, horizontally challenged...5'6" and a 44 waist in dress pants. But I find that BSA uniform pants run small...I need a 46 or 48 waist, then the crotch is down to my knees and I have to have about 14" trimmed off the cuffs. The end result looks pretty ridiculous. One reason why I hate BSA pants, and don't even attempt to order them online. I know, I know..."why don't you just slim down?"...but that's another forum and I'm not here for that kind of advice. I've TRIED growing taller, but it's just not working. So, are the sizes running true, or small as usual?

For what it's worth I observe that the parents do not share the same surname. Perhaps Dad's not available for camping because they are divorced and he doesn't have custody? In which case, Mom needs to buy herself a sleeping bag! I wonder if dissolving the unit would make the case moot. As a CO, this would certainly cure me of my desire to offer the BSA program. As a volunteer, I don't have a legal responsibility to provide anything for any kid that's not my own. If the parents want "equal access" and even special accomodations, they are free to form their own unit. Isn't this analogous to the gay/atheist debates, or the "no female leaders" debate? If the SCOTUS has determined that we are a private membership organization with freedom to determine our own membership rules, why is this an issue? The parents should be told, "sorry, those are our troop policies. You are free to find a troop with policies more to your liking."

Update: my laptop at home is working normally. Only have the problem at work. Might be a firewall issue, since it's the banner ads that seem to be getting blocked.

Around here, the boys are still on "summer vacation". School doesn't start until after Labor Day. Our last two Monday meetings were sparsely attended, in spite of the SPL calling each scout to remind them. Even then , they "forgot" to come to the meeting. I am hoping things will improve after school starts and they are out of "vacation" mode. As far as the meetings themselves, boys this age don't like being "talked at". They get enough of that in school. Make sure your meetings are fast paced, no more than 10-15 minutes on any one task. The more physical activity and "hands on" the better. Having them sit and listen to someone talk should be a last resort. There's a reason it's called the Scoutmaster's "Minute".

Me too!!! I thought it was my server but I guess not.