scoutldr

There were 3-4 girl scouts in my 4th grade class. The bow tie was yellow.

My philosophy is the same for Eagles. If the parent has to beg, threaten, cajole, plead, etc, is it really the scout's "accomplishment"? We can all do amazing things if we are threatened with enough pain. But the mark of the Eagle is to show initiative, leadership, skill and organization. It's not about how well the picnic tables are constructed. It's has to be her decision and about her choices, if it's to mean anything.

COntact your DE. He is supposed to maintain a relationship with all CORs and monitor things. Also call your District Commissioner and ask him/her when you can expect a visit from a Unit COmmissioner. THey are the ones to meet with the CO and explain their responsibilities. Could be that with the turnover of PTO leadership every year, there is no corporate memory from when the Pack was formed. They need to be re-educated. Don't be surprised if you end up looking for a new CO. Some don't want to be involved any more than they are, so you have to weigh your options. Another suggestion: Your CC should request to meet with the PTO Board at least once a year to deliver a "State of the Pack" report. Make sure they are invited to all activities, esp the BG Banquet. When leaders earn their "knots", have the President of the PTO make the presentation. Make sure it's your Cubs who present the flags, or do other service (in full uniform, of course!) at every PTO meeting. A little communication and visibility can do wonders. Let them know that their interest is expected!(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

"How does one get a staff when most are wearing so many hats already?" That's the same problem we all face. I had it when I was Training Chair, and one reason I had to give up the job. You are the leader and coordinator, you can't do it all yourself. Cub RT staff, when I was doing Cubs in the early 80's, were "former" Den Leaders, Cubmasters, etc, whose own boys had moved on, but they were still sharing their experience and skills. One dear lady was a Grandmother in her 70's when she died, but she was still doing crafts at RT every month. Look for those who are experienced, but no longer have an active role at the unit level. I am a firm believer that the District should not entice people away from key unit jobs, or burn them out with more work. Look at the BS Troops ... there may be many ASMs or MC out there who were active Cub Scouters and moved on to a troop because their kids did, but really are active on paper only. A troop doesn't really need 15 ASMs, but they may be really knowledgeable about running a Webelos den, and would be willing to give you one hour a month ;-). BTW, CSRT Commissioner is a District position, so silver loops are correct. Also wear the position patch without unit numerals (a pet peeve of mine, if dual-registered with a unit). Our RTs meet at a school, so we have to find alternate meeting places during July and August. Sometimes we just meet on the front lawn if the weather is good. (This message has been edited by scoutldr)

Eamonn's posts have set me to thinking. I also thought that LFL was a "separate subsidiary" of BSA. While I knew that there was a "DE" responsible for LFL in the Council office, it never occured to me that we were financially subsidizing it through our FOS, popcorn sales, James E West fellowships, etc. If it is to be a separate program, then shouldn't the finances should be separate, too? Perhaps they are. Perhaps the parents of LFL students/participants/members are charged a fee to cover all materials and the DE's salary. Perhaps the schools pay for it. Perhaps they have their own popcorn sales. Perhaps it is being funded by a federal grant. Perhaps all those little Cub Scouts going door to door selling popcorn are paying for it. I admit I don't have all the facts, but maybe someone who does will enlighten us, in the interest of full disclosure. Then we can all take that into consideration when we fill out our pledge forms next year. I'm not saying it's good nor bad. Just give me more facts, let me decide, then I'll vote with my checkbook, just like the United Way has done.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

Think Supreme Court.

Think Supreme Court.

Oh. Never mind.

Your COR has a vote on the District Committee and Council Executive Board. Does he/she attend the meetings and voice your displeasure? Not recording Scout ranks will become a serious issue when a young man files his Eagle application. If the right info is not in Scoutnet, National will not approve the application.

http://www.learning-for-life.org/

Dylan Thomas notwithstanding, I am observing the trend that parents are opting to have children later in life. I just turned 50 and my own sons aged out and are now 27 and 23. My colleagues who have been with the troop for 11 years now are 53 and 49 and their sons have aged out, too. The moms and dads of the new Webelos who just joined are not much younger than us...some are older. My sister in law had her two children at age 40 and 40yrs 9 months...now she and her husband are near my age and still have two 4th graders. I am starting to see retirement on the horizon and am glad I have grown children who can fend for themselves now, and that high school and college are distant memories. I guess the point of this is that when I start looking around for a replacement, all I see are old people who have less energy and time than I do, and who are content to drop their kids off for the weekend so they can get a much needed rest. Don't get me wrong, they readily express their appreciation and say "I don't know why you keep doing this, but we are really glad you do!" Problem is, if their kids want to go to Philmont or high adventure, who will take them? Like someone else said, two nights on the ground now is about all my back can take, and that's only if I can plug in my CPAP machine!

At the troop level, only the SM can earn the SM Key. All other positions in the Troop (ASM, MC, CC) earn the Boy Scout Leader Training Award. There is also a Key for District Committee (all members, not just Chairman), Commissioners, Venturing Advisors/Skippers, and Varsity Coach.

Then it would be "scout.com".

Cowfoot: Sounds like my Grandmother's Pennsylvania Dutch used to sound!

Happy Mothers' Day, Mom. I miss you. 7/10/25 - 11/30/95 If you still have a Mother, call her or visit her while you still can.

Obesity is a complex disease consisting of endocrine (hormonal), metabolic, mental (stress), and genetic factors. Those components are all intertwined and interdependent. Unlike smokers and alcoholics, we cannot choose to quit buying food. If it were that easy, more of us would be successful. If we quit food "cold turkey", we will die. Exercise and dieting to lose weight is usually a temporary fix...the body resists the efforts and when we let up just a little, the weight comes back, and the body adds more, just in case I decide to try again. This is still one of the least understood disease processes. So my question is this...what other "weaknesses" will we decide set a "bad example" for our youth? Diabetes? Asthma? Cancer? Just tell me where the line is. If I'm on the wrong side, I'll resign and let someone stronger take over. Let me know when you find them.

I avoid girls in uniform. They think they know everything.

I agree that an ECOH is a special occasion and should be afforded a special time. If you have 25 LifeScouts, you will be averaging a COH every two weeks. If all your troop does is attend COHs, when are the other Scouts supposed to do Scouting?

Our new Dist Chair opened the meeting by saying, "I don't know anything about Scouting, but I can chair a meeting, and leave the details up to you, the experts." So far, he hasn't learned enough to be able to conceive any hare-brained ideas of his own, and he just "chairs the meeting" according to the agenda that the DE hands him as he enters the room. I think I kinda like it that way.

A camp bar??? As Yakov Smirnoff would say, "What a country!" Eamonn, old chap, ye never clued us in!

Parsing the parse: I hope the junior leaders and the Scouters are sleeping in two separate areas. Otherwise, this is a Youth Protection and G2SS violation. Sleeping in the same area is acceptable as long as they are not in the same tent. Leave No Trace... This is a summer camp, not the wilderness backcountry. Boy Led Troop... If these are MB classes, only adults can be MB counselors. Doesn't conform to the Guide to Safe Scouting. Further, the non-conformance is in the MANDATORY areas of G2SS. Sounds like he is describing "ability groups", Swimmer, Beginner and Non-swimmer. Straight out of Safe Swim Defense. BSA Lifeguards are recommended as meeting the definition of "qualified supervision". It's not a requirement.

My first question would be "why did the election team go back three times?" If the troop leadership (PLC) is not interested enough in the election to have a quorum there, then maybe they should wait until next year and try again. I agree with the others...if they have met the requirements, age is irrelevant.

Vigil is an honor that is bestowed, not elected. Vigil candidates can be nominated by any other arrowman and the selection is done by a committee. I would think if one were to decline the honor, it could be considered rude. Unless, of course, there were extenuating circumstances that would prevent one from completing the process. Such things should be handled privately on a case-by-case basis.

Since baseball is the passion of your small town, are you the only Scout parent with a conflict? How about suggesting that the Scout meeting start a little later? My son played baseball from age 5 till his senior year in high school. Four years on the Varsity team. One year at summer camp, I drove 150 miles round trip every day so he could play with his team in a post-season tournament. (Pony league). Did he get a college scholarship? No. Was it worth all those hours on the bleachers? I wouldn't trade it for a minute. I did it because he loved baseball. He did scouting because it's what I did since I was 8 years old and I loved it. We each made sacrifices for the other. Isn't that what it's all about?

When we had LDS units in our district, they would come to camporees, but would pack out after the campfire on Saturday night. We always heard it was because they could not do much else on the Sabbath except go to church.