Eagle Scout before high school? I question the value of the rank and the motivation for the rank and the rush for the rank and, and, and.
It has been my experience that boys who achieve Eagle Scout rank at a young age grow wings and fly away. Scouts are not an organization that is bent on pumping up a kids self-esteem with the achievement of Eagle rank. They are focused on building character and leadership skills. How much leadership opportunity does a youngster get if he achieves Eagle rank at 12 or 13 years of age. They don't even quite know who they are at that age, although they are in the process of discovering who they are.
My son just achieved Life Scout rank. I actually joke with him saying, "Six more months and you can fly away with your Eagle wings". He could be transferred up to the Eagle patrol, but we talked about how much better it would be to spend more time in the patrol he is currently in. This way he could build on his leadership skills, as we just had a whole bunch of Weblos cross-over into our troop. I asked him, "Why would you want to be the runt of the litter?" That's what would happen if he took a spot in the Eagle patrol.
I think it's much better for the scouts to take their time to Eagle once they reach Life. Unless they are 17 y.o. They'll get much more out of scouting.
It sounds to me like you are not in a hurry. Why not encourage him to enjoy himself and take his time. Some parents are in more of a rush for their sons to reach Eagle than the boys are. Those parents don't understand the value of longevity in scouting. It is just as important, if not more important, than rank.
To early eagle or not to early eagle
in Advancement Resources
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Eagle Scout before high school? I question the value of the rank and the motivation for the rank and the rush for the rank and, and, and.
It has been my experience that boys who achieve Eagle Scout rank at a young age grow wings and fly away. Scouts are not an organization that is bent on pumping up a kids self-esteem with the achievement of Eagle rank. They are focused on building character and leadership skills. How much leadership opportunity does a youngster get if he achieves Eagle rank at 12 or 13 years of age. They don't even quite know who they are at that age, although they are in the process of discovering who they are.
My son just achieved Life Scout rank. I actually joke with him saying, "Six more months and you can fly away with your Eagle wings". He could be transferred up to the Eagle patrol, but we talked about how much better it would be to spend more time in the patrol he is currently in. This way he could build on his leadership skills, as we just had a whole bunch of Weblos cross-over into our troop. I asked him, "Why would you want to be the runt of the litter?" That's what would happen if he took a spot in the Eagle patrol.
I think it's much better for the scouts to take their time to Eagle once they reach Life. Unless they are 17 y.o. They'll get much more out of scouting.
It sounds to me like you are not in a hurry. Why not encourage him to enjoy himself and take his time. Some parents are in more of a rush for their sons to reach Eagle than the boys are. Those parents don't understand the value of longevity in scouting. It is just as important, if not more important, than rank.