scoutmom111

We work it into the cost of the trip for anything over 50 miles. Of course if a family decides to take their own car and only their own family, we don't compensate them. It just got to be too much of a burden on the same people. If you want the scouts to baby sit your boy... pay the sitter!

My husband is the SM for our Troop when it goes up to Mackinaw Island for a week of service. There are very firm LAWS about hazing. You cannot tell a boy to do anything that is not part of the normal duty for which they signed up. In otherwords, we can make them salute the flag pole. but not for more time than they would normally salute. We cannot make them do KP. (for our troop at Mackinaw, the boys don't do kitchen work) We can give them the choice of KP or going home. We cannot make them scrub with a tooth brush, but they can be required to clean (that is a normal part of the service week). They can be made to stand at attention, since that is part of the week. We can ask them to sing, or dance, but cannot tell them to do so. I am in the middle of WB. THe first day someone left their hat and staff was going to make them sing. My husband spoke up and said that it wasn't allowed (it wasn't my husband that lost the hat). The said "oh but it's a tradition" He replied that it is against the law to make someone sing, you can only ask... and he sited that the reason he knows is from Mackinaw. He even offered that if he was asked to sing he would (it would scare everyone!) but you Must ask, not demand. THey replied "hey, we're all adults" BUt as my husband said, we were at training to learn how to be better leaders, so we shouldn't be doing things that were wrong. At our summer camp we came up with nicknames for the boys. One was Mama's boy (my son) others were Lost (he was always losing things) and Drama Queen (even his dad said it was appropriate). The one thing we were careful about is that the boy had a right to refuse the name, all boys had nick names and even the adult leaders had nick names. (I'm short and sassy) It ended up being a bonding thing. BUt they had the right to refuse. One boy did refuse and it was fine with the rest. The boys did do a snipe hunt, but again they could refuse. They are still laughing about the whole thing. It is all in how it is handled and that there is no problem with someone refusing. Mama Bear

We will be doing lots of re-enactments. They want to do medieval. My oldest son make chain mail and has been going to renfairs since he was 4 months old! We have a troop that we are working with that is very into Civil. We will to French, Indian since most of the boys are also into OA. We currently go to Niagra-on-the-lake, Canada for an 1812 re-enactment. Plus we do service week at Mackinaw (1812) and are currently working on putting together something at Fort Detroit (1812). We will be doing a sprint camporee that has the theme of scouting thru the ages. There will be several "worlds" where the boys can learn about the food, weapons, social skills, and life of the era. We will have troops rank their choice of which world they want to camp in and then we will use rankings to assign them where to camp. THere will be a camp "head person" (maybe a King or General or Chief???) that will be part of the evaluation of the troops. They will be expected to have something in their camp that reflects the "world" they have joined. All in all I think they will have fun... want to join us???

OH goody - one of my tickets is a parent handbook... I'm collecting examples.... yippee!!! Any one else have good ideas of what should be in there?

I am with troop 111 in Lansing, Mi., Chief Okemos Council. I started as a webelos leader, my husband was Cubmaster and my two boys were webelos and wolf. Now I am the advancement chair for T111. Eagle advisor, merit badge coucilor for many troops and I am a wood badger - I'm a good old Charmin Bear! We were the scout family of the year in 2003 and the scout family on Dr. Phil - 2002 I am an OA ordeal member... and we are starting a Crew 111 this year. THe crew will do re-enactments. I think that pretty well covers scouting!

Yes we were the ones in the front row in our scout uniforms. We had to get permission from national to wear them. At the time I was in my 5th year as Webelos leader. I am now fully in the troop, advancement chair, merit badge councilor for 6 badges, Eagle advisor, OA ordeal member and 5 days short of being a wood badger!!! Oh, and our troop is starting a venture crew so that is coming up next year! Yep, I've moved up!!! As I said, all my boys (and they are ALL my boys) make sure I have a good time. I figure it is good training for future husbands **smile**

I know I have been venting all over the forum about frustrations with my WB course. I love hearing all the feed back. And I really love to hear the CD perspective. I know it is the other side of the fence, but we are all moving to the same place. Good leaders, good units, better programs! I'm just curious, from the CD/Staff perspective, what is the hardest part of WB. Everything has pluses and minuses. Maybe someday I will be a staffer. I might complain, but I've always put my time and money where my mouth is... I wouldn't staff under the current CD (God knows she wouldn't let me anyway **giggle**) but someday... maybe... So I've heard a ton of pluses and I can see many of them... but what are the minuses (except it being only one hour a week **smile**)

dancinfox Maybe next time I will suggest people go to your council wB course! After all, we're just in Lansing **smile** Mama Bear

I haven't started my tickets yet, our second weekend starts this Friday. But I have already gotten something out of it all. We met a cubmaster, Pat. He is a good ole bear with the rest of us... well he has already decided to join our troop... his wife is buying him a new shirt so he will have one for cubs and one for Troop 111!!! He has already volunteered to be an Eagle mentor for one of our autistic boys. You see Pat is an Eagle and his cousin is autistic. We've hit the jack pot!

I can't tell you how much it helps getting other perspectives. We've decided to give up on the CD not the patrol. We WILL finish the weekend. We have a reindeer that poops candy (hey, its something my 15 year old son had). So we decided that everytime there is... we get candy! Oh, just one more vent, she complained that I used someone elses format (I added the How verified:). I was told I had no business going around the CD to the internet! Oh, and at one time they planned that we all had to have 4 guests at each meal... last night they decided that 2 was fine. It looks like they might have looked up a few national rules. It is her loss by not listening to our concerns. We've learned and grown... but she sure hasn't!! I will let you all know how this weekend end... and I will be working my tickets soon!!!

I am so frustrated I could scream and so is all of my patrol. When we asked for an example of a ticket, they sent one that they said was approved... but when we used the same format, we were told we were wrong. I got a new format from Charles... thank you so much... Our troop guide is new, this is her first time on staff. So she says our tickets are fine, then sends them on to the CD, the sends back "suggestions" like.. Too Vague... that's it, no suggestions on what that means. Or like "WHat does 'Get' mean?" when we say we will "get the troop to be more aware of diversity by.... " I realize that there will be revisions but they aren't helpful... let alone written with curtousy, kindness or helpfullness. She even sent us a message calling us the whiney bears and saying we can either get with the game or not! She has left us a message on our yahoo group saying we are irritating. She doesn't use any of the techniques we've been taught in woodbadge. She doesn't listen, she doesn't use top down leadership, and her conflict resolution techniques are pitiful. We decided as a patrol that we would ask to have a meeting to clear the air. I sent the message since I am the one everyone turns to write things up (right now I am APL, but we try to use our best resources) Here answer was that she would only think about it if it came from the PL. She was on our private yahoo group. Most of the members have voice frustration! 3 times one of the bears... a cub master that we hadn't known before WB, has said he was done and he was quitting. We keep talking him into staying. He has submitted his tickets SEVEN times. I got 4 approved after 3 submittions and the CD's comment (to the TG but sent to me as well) was "we had to pull it out of her but she finally did the work". Our patrol is working together fabulously. We just can't get any direction or EDGE from our TG or CD. We were told that the TG is the one to approve the tickets. She did, but the CD turn them down and slottered them. Not a bit of constructive, helpful suggestions. If I were the CD and I had a new TG, I would set with her, explain what I want and tell her to put the suggestions in her own words. Once I see that they are submitting for the third time, I would suggest a meeting to go back to EDGE and keep there from being frustration. Okay, so I am venting but I am really not looking forward to the weekend. I'm so tired of her attitude. We will continue on ... but it sure is hard. Anyone have any insite here?

My husband was sm when our son got Eagle. He didn't want anyone to question our boys work so he didn't sign off on the SM conference, he had one of the ASM do it. There is a loop hole that an ASM can be acting SM on outings if the SM isn't available. We have also had young men that didn't participate in recent years. My husband told them that they must be an active member of the group for him to sign off on their leadership capability. We even had a young man that cheated on his eagle. His dad was ... shall we say... strong willed and controlling... he did the eagle for the boy. We finally set down with the boy and his mom. (I'm the advancement chair so I was part of it all) We told him what our concern was... he had even done part of his eagle with out any adult leader but his parents there... We explained what we needed him to do in order for my husband to sign off on his eagle. We then told him that if he didn't want to do the required steps we would help him to go around the troop and go directly to council. We just didn't feel that it would be honest to sign off on the eagle as it currently stood. I am proud to say that the boy did the extra work and is one FINE eagle!!!

Okay, so I am late to this tread, but.... not only do I go on the camp outs with the boys, they are disappointed when I don't go. You see I took my family on the DR. Phil show because all we ever did was scouting. DOn't get me wrong, I love scouting... hey I'm currently taking Wood badge!!! But on the one weekend a month that we weren't scouting, they wanted to veg at home so ALL we did was scouting. Sinced that time all the boys make sure I have a fun time at all scout events. They often tease my husband (the SM) that he'd better be ready to take me on dates on the off nights! We have a few troops in our council that are no women troops. I wish that the council would do something about it but I can only work from with in the system ... hummmm that could be a diversity ticket!!!

I know they must have had a ball. We live in Lansing Michigan about 15 minutes from MSU and despite 100+ heat and no ac in the dorm rooms, my son didn't even once call to ask if he could sleep in his air conditioned room and have dad drop him off in the morning (my husband is a PHD chemist at MSU). He did, however, call home for a fan and money!!!!

The cost of the course is hard enough, especially as both my husband and I went... it goes to supplies, food, and lots of props. The worse cost was when we were told to make gifts for up to 4 guests per meal at 4 meals, plus the flag, plus the new name tags, plus embellishments for others, plus a centerpiece, plus making a miniture flag for our SM, plus gift for the staff, plus the cost of our patrol project, plus the cost of our conservation project (we were told there was wood available then found out NOT... we had to provide it, and the cost of printing, laminating, plexiglass, screws ... we were assigned to replace signs on a trail... and told to add 5 new plants!!!)...plus I didn't have a full uniform. I used the money we had saved for my uniform to send our son to NOAC this year. At the last minute they found an opening for him... oF course this is all after paying for 2 at scout camp, 2 at Mackinaw camp, NOAC etc... etc... there is no diversity in scout training if it involves the family resources!!! Oh, yea, and we were given $120 for 6 meals, 4 of which are to be made for 10 (6 in our patrol and 4 guests). That comes to $2 per person per meal and 2 of the meals are back packing meals. Thank goodness I am a really good shopper. They basically told us that we would just have to pay any extra out of our pocket!!!

I'm a Charmin Bear Our yell is "Please don't squeeze the Charmin" We have 2 songs: The first is: I used to be a bear And a mean old bear too Ive eaten me an Eagle, a Fox and beaver stew. Im getting rather hungry And I dont know what to do So Im going to catch a staffer if I can Back to dinner, Frying pan Im going to catch a staffer if I can and the second is: Charmin Bears sung to Bear Necessities Look for the Charmin Bears The woodbadge Charmin Bears We belong to Gilwell troop 1 We are the Charming bears The Love to sing and dancing bears We have the spirit to be # 1.

being a bear my self... a Charmin Bear... I am proud to say that our patrol has really worked hard together. We are between weekends in our wb course. While it was suggested that we have 2 patrol meetings, we have already had 4 and plan 3 more before we go back next weekend!! We do bring the patrol spirit back to our boys. They are already excited seeing our flag. We even have the adults in our troop called the dragon patrol (that may have to change to the bear patrol so I can continue as Mama Bear!) We have 4 adult leaders taking wb together (and one cubmaster that we are really recruiting!!!) We have the SM the QM and the advance chair there plus one very involved committee member. The boys see us working hard and know that we really get it. OUr Cubmaster's Pack is making a log with an axe in it and 5 candles so he can light a candle each time he completes a ticket!!!