SM406

ManyIrons, I also ask this question a while back and while everyone agrees that it is for the best that committee members be registered members of the BSA, however, I have yet to see where in writing it states such. For example, in the ideal world an eagle BOR should be made up of people who are from the community that understand the significance of the Eagle award (pastors, policemen, mayors, etc which would imply they are not necessarily registered), not just unit committee members and a district representative. But no where have I seen it specifically state that BOR members or co

Being a registered member of the BSA does not automatically fill one with all of the knowledge needed to participate in proper BORs, neither will training (hopefully training will help though). This forum has had numerous threads where apparently registered adults had no clue as to how to run a BOR. I personally know registered trained Scouters with years of experience that continue to test Scouts on their BORs and on the flip side I know a parent that asks the Scout some of the most thought provoking questions. This parent has not registered yet. All of the background checks issues aside,

Do you have to be registered with BSA to be a member of a troop committee? I think it is prefered, but not reguired. SM406

Do you have to be registered with BSA to be a member of a troop committee? I think it is prefered, but not reguired. SM406

Just a word of caution on inviting siblings. It is a great idea but one that backfired on my wife. While a den leader she organized one with our friendly State Farm agent (he was our agent). It was set up as a family pack event one Saturday afternoon. State Farm does a great job. Everything was going great until one of the cubs accidentally collided with someone elses sibling, causing (we found out later) a broken arm. The parents of the sibling had no medical insurance and since the boy was a sibling and not a registered Cub Scout BSA insurance would not cover him either. The parents s

I have been selected to be a Scoutmaster for one of seven troops we are sending. My oldest son will be my third assistant Scoutmaster and my other two sons are part of the contingent. My wife said she was going to Maine. It would be kinda cool to meet everyone here, there. SM406

I really appreciate and agree with what Zahnada wanted to do. To try to bring us together in this special time of year. But even this thread disintegrated into snipping. I was away from the forum for four days and returned with great hope of having a positive experience in Scouting over the net. Oh well I guess I was wrong. I agree with LauraT7. There just does not seem to be a whole lot of Scout Spirit in the character make up of some posters here. I have learned a lot about Scouting here, as well as about human nature. However, more and more, this forum has become a waste of ti

I started to just let this pass. But I can't. I lived in WV for 6 years and I currently commute to WV to work. Sure I have heard all the jokes about WV. I am just a little disappointed by several posters here that I respected, and not surprised by some of the others. SM406

For most of the merit badges I have been exposed to, the MB book usually discuses the responses to the requirements for that MB. Some MBs can be completed from the information in the MB book alone. I strongly encourage Scouts to get the MB book. SM406

Rooster7, Thanks! SM406

OOooopppsss!, Sorry!! SM406

So!? SM406

I have watched (lurked) this thread and others like it. Never really sure where and when I should butt in. Anyway, here are a few of my loose ramblings. None are directed to anyone in particular and are not meant to be confrontational. 1.) I do not believe God put murders, rapist, etc on this earth. God made man/woman in his image and I do not believe God is any of that. God also gave us free will, the ability to choose. The ability to choose among other things, between right and wrong. Also the ability to chose to follow Him or not. Are not relationships between people more meani

Our troop was having a discussion a few meetings ago concerning the Oath and Law and one of the Scouts said he thought the Law was geeky. I suspect geeky means anything that is not mainstream to what is cool or hip. One observation I have of my own sons (ages 17, 15, 13 two eagles and a life) is that as they grow older and become more self confident the less they become concerned about who knows they are in Scouts and about wearing their uniform in public. I also believe Scouts have played a major role in building their self confidence. They are all still uncomfortable with wearing the uni

OldGrayEagle, With the scout/father issue, I am still trying to decide. Other issues like constant disruptive behavior, fighting, etc, I can see asking them to leave the troop/scouts. I came down pretty strong on the side of not allowing the pregnant female leader to be a role model, am I being hypocritical now that it is a Scout who is a father/child who I know? Maybe if I did not know the boy I could more easily take the stance that he is not a good role model and ask him to leave. I am also curious to see others post on your thread, it is a good question. SM406

That leader sounds a little like me. At the time, I had more training than the SM or most on the Committee. I felt like the adult leadership was giving lip service to the concept of the unit being boy lead and run. SM conferences were tests as were the BOR. I had several meetings with the COR and CC trying to express my concerns and there response was if you are so unhappy why don't you leave. It was not long after that an opportunity came up in another troop. We were gone in a heart beat. I would listen carefully to what the leader/parent is saying. If this person is also trained y

I would like to suggest a similar gift given to me. Get an empty box of Cheer detergent and fill it with slips of paper with as many Cub Scout cheers you can come up with. Now you have a Cheer Box. We have used mine at pack meetings where a leader or a cub will pick a slip from the box and then teach the cheer to the pack. This way the cubs learn new cheers and we do not end up doing the same cheer month after month. Also, this is a home made gift which most of the time mean more than store bought items. SM406

I would like to thank everyone for their thoughts. They are very much appreciated. The chartering organization is a United Methodist Church that does not insert itself in the life of the troop. However the COR is very involved with the unit. So I am not sure what the response will be if any. I am extremely torn by this. The role model side says he has not lived up to the Oath and Law and thereby should be scorned by the troop. The compassionate side says he who is without sin cast the first stone. Since the boys father is an ASM and the mother a Webelos leader, their common

How does the boy go forward with Scouting as part of his life? What role can Scouting play? SM406

We have in an earlier post discussed the merits of having a pregnant unwed leader for a troop. We have some church friends that belong to a different troop than my family and their middle son a fifteen year old life scout has gotten a girl pregnant. As part of the church family, this family needs a lot of love and support from us. My question is how do we address the boy in the context of Scouting (Oath, etc.) or do we? He has not lived up to the Oath, obviously. Thanks for your input. SM406

Our district has experienced a significant drop in new cub scouts, and I hear that our council as well has lower numbers. I work with a fellow Scouter from a different region and he says their numbers are low also. I wonder if this is problematic nationwide? Is this drop due to people marrying later in life thus fewer cub aged boys? Or just a decline in population due to the Baby-boomers moving on? How will this effect the Boy Scout program in a few years? If there is a drop in population of cub aged boys will National relax the requirements for QU, QD, and QC? Just curious..

I was headed in your direction NJCubScouter and Eagledad, with my thoughts. A Lone Scout could still learn leadership skills and apply those skills by providing leadership to service projects for the Life through Eagle ranks; I was just having a brain cramp trying to see where he would have the opportunity to learn leadership by being a follower. Great thread on the nuances (or is it nuisances) of leadership. SM406

I am not sure if the Lone Scout program is still around (I believe it is). If it is how would this cliche' hold up in this program? SM406

Great thread. My horizons have been expanded, so I thank you all. I once was curious about BSAs by laws. But if they are not concerned about unit operations, it is no longer a high priority in my life. My thoughts on the camo and knife situation is, if the program is being properly presented, particularly concerning the purpose of uniforming and the proper use of a knife, then the likely hood of Scouts feeling the need to attend a troop function so attired would be very small. Our troop has by-laws; they were here when I arrived. However, I think I will try to phase them out by p

Has anyone seen and tried the Reese's Cups and Kit Kats made with white chocolate. Wow are they good! I have only seen them in Wal-Mart. Give them a try! SM406