SueM

Remember..this was 1943...there may have been different (or no) time in rank requirements then.

sue m.

Safety Afloat is also needed for the Kayaking patch. I had my own son do it online after I did it. I think there is a lot that boys can learn from both the Safety Afloat and the Safe Swim Defense. Yes, the main reason for the training is to teach adults how to keep boys safe, but I also think that it teaches them how to take responsibility for not only their own safety but those around them but still have fun. We all know that "boys will be boys" but the more qualified supervision that is involved, the better..especially if it comes from the boys being able to do some of it themselves. JMO though...

sue m.

77Jamboree,

You do know that the Safe Trip Afloat is available to do online don't you? Though it's not a requirement that he do it, do you think that if he did the online training for it that he would then feel comfortable in taking the printout to the SM so he could show that he'd done it? It's just a thought..

Sue M.

A Scoutmaster to Scouts who finally "get it!" = "Go ahead...MAKE MY DAY!!"

I had a case fairly recently of one of my younger scouts...has been in the troop a couple of years, comes to meetings, mostly talks and plays..was not coming to campouts for the most part and was not advancing. One day he showed up with his handbook requesting a SM conference and had requirements signed of for 2 1/2 ranks...all signed off by his older brother, who is one of our Eagle Scouts and still semi-active with the troop. I have serious doubts if all requirements were done as the scout couldn't demonstrate to me that he had a clear understanding of some of them but a scout is trustworthy, so I had to accept what I saw and sent him for a BoR. I then immediately had a talk with older brother then about how it "appears" when family members sign off on requirements (especially for 2+ ranks!!) and requested that he not do that anymore.

Sue M.

I think that the biggest problem area that I have with both the shirt (and I might add that I do buy the woman's "Blouse" and not the male shirt!) and the pants is in the hip area. While the Blouse might fit me in the chest area, there is no flare for the hips so if you try to button the bottom button it's too tight. It's the same thing with the pants..they may fit me otherwise in the waist and legs but are really tight right across the hips..especially for someone who has had 5 kids!!

Oh..that earring question..I have a nice pair of Peridot studs that really match well with the olive pants!!

Sue M.

Eamonn,

It's a wonderful...very ethnically mixed area..still many 1st & 2nd generation Irish, German, Italian and Eastern European immigrants (including my own grandparents) who came to find a better life in the steel mills, coal mines and farms...WONDERFUL food!! and you're right about all the small towns...There are some great ones..Lots of great local history, from Revolutionary war times to modern!.. All of both of our families still live there. I've been gone for 20 years now but still miss it...I was back there last July when my mother died.. We don't get back as often these days since it's a long drive that gets harder and harder for me to make..

Where is your Ship based? What river do you call home??

Sue M.

Eamonn,

As a native western pennsylvanian...you make me homesick talking about Heinz Hall!!!

Sue m.

BSA Chaplain,

Wow! Congratulations!! That is really great that you have completed your ticket already! I -could- have done that..(Some of the staff had bets that I would do it!) but I didn't push myself, so I settled for my Beaver Patrol being the first full patrol to finish instead! When is your beading ceremony???

Sue M.

I used to be a Beaver

Karl,

Thanks! I see you are in Poway..our first duty station was at the "Pink Palace" in San Diego in 1985..lots of good and some "strange" memories of the place! Would love to come back to visit sometime...

Sue M.

Thanks to all for the congrats...I get to wear them for the first time tonight to our troop meeting..I still haven't gotten used to the idea that I actually HAVE them now!

It was really just very special to me that the 3 of us did end up being able to do this together...I look back at us 2 years ago when we went through BLT and never expected us to end up where we are today, with 2 of us taking on the role as Scoutmaster's unexpectedly. At the end of the ceremony, Bill just jokingly said "well...What can the 3 of us do together NEXT???" and I told him "Well, Tim and I are on Staff for the next BLT, Tim as SM and me as the SPL..maybe you could join us on staff for that!" so I got a note from him today saying that he would really like to do that and wanted additional information!! I think we've started a tradition!

Sue m

I would not wait for the invitation from either the SM or Committee to take the training...go and do it...especially if you DO plan on taking

Wood Badge in the future because one of the requirements is that you are trained for your current position. So, even if that is that you're a committee member, you will need to take Fast Start, New Leaders Essential and do the Troop Committee Challenges. Besides..if you DO end up moving to a different troop, and have taken the Basic Leaders Training..I'm sure they will welcome an already Trained adult leader with open arms...I know that I would!!

Have you checked into seeing if other local Districts or Councils might be offering Wood Badge at a time when you CAN attend??? That is always an option.

sue m.

I agree with baden that being a cheerleader and acting somewhat effeminate is not "proof" that he's gay...I think many of the boys in the troop think the same thing about my son because he's so non-athletic and very socially inept AND he loves to cook!! He is decidedly NOT gay, but is a very sensitive type. We are a military family so we have pretty much been on our own and he really has not had many strong male role models in his life..and rarely has any real contact with family outside of his younger brother & sisters..and he has never really had any "neighborhood" boys to really bond with along the way...which is exactly the reason WHY I got him involved and keep him involved in scouts!

The decision will ultimately be yours but don't totally base it just on the other kids' "opinions"...they could be wrong!! Good Luck!

Sue M.

gwd-scouter,

We have actually had "surprise" Eagle presentations for boys who said they didn't want a formal ceremony. We had a boy who went to the same church as the CC and my self..his Eagle project was done for the church too, so several of us got together with his parents and just surprised him and did it after the service with just a few curious people around. I think that in the end, he really appreciated the gesture that we made.

Perhaps you could do it at a troop CoH or other occasion...even at a campfire at a regular camping trip!

I also think that Bowhunter is a great candidate for Wood Badge Training and he should stongly consider taking it as soon as he possibly can!! He's got the vision already and just needs to run with it and make it happen!!

Sue M.

gwd-scouter,

You're making great progress..now start telling those parents who are doing nothing or little that you EXPECT some help!! Don't take no for an answer!!

sue m.

Wow..this sounds like a tough situation! You don't say if the other adult leaders in the troop are trained...if not, perhaps encouraging them to go to BLT might give them some insight that could be helpful.. You also say that you are a trained WDL...so I assume you have not gone through BS Leaders Training???

What if you were to take on the role of of being the adult patrol advisor to your sons' patrol...start doing some patrol outings with just them...let them do the planning..help them start learning what they should be doing...

Good luck!!

sue m.

gwd-scouter,

Boy..what a familiar sounding story! Though I only lost one boy when I became SM, because he didn't agree that it should be a woman and I said Good ridance!! He quit scouting all together because he was there for all the wrong reasons to start with. He was nothing but a distraction to the whole troop..2 of his buddies though with similar views did stay though because they were close to Eagle..both continued to cause issues until they both finally Eagled out and left for good! Things have been so much better and I've actually been able to make more troop progress in the past 5 months since they've been gone.

I don't have a problem with boys going to other troops if they don't feel right in ours...Or OTOH, coming into our troop from another if they don't feel a fit there. Every troop has its own "flavor" of people and sometimes boys just decide that it wasn't the flavor that they wanted after all..so they need to try someplace else.

Sue m.

If you get a couple of transfers, maybe it will be shake up the other troop enough that they realize something is wrong with their program and they'll need to change it in order to keep boys.

We are in somewhat of a similar situation in the opposite...we had a troop that was ready to fold with rechartering..the SM had already talked to me about absorbing the boys into our troop and we had invited the remaining boys to go with us on outings several times. The consensus of people in the district was to let the troop die at this time...Well, one of my adult leaders decided that he was going to "save" the other troop so he moved to the troop, along with his wife & son and then also has recruited (or tried to recruit) several other troop members. I really have no problem with it other than it was done kind of underhandedly with no notice, right at recharting time..so my troop ended up paying for the rechartering fee and then they just transferred out right after that!!

One thing that our district did at a Combined District Camporee was instead of changing events so that it was easier for the younger scouts, to give an award to the best patrol made totally up of new scouts. This allowed them to do the same events as all the other scouts, but with the expectation that they were competing more against scouts of their own age group and experience. I thought it worked out very well.

Sue M.

IMO, I think that the better approach would be for all the adult leaders to sit down and discuss this situation with the ASM and present a united front that his behavior is not only setting a poor example for the boys, but is also causing confusion with them. Make it clear that you all stand behind and support the SM's position on how he wants the troop run since it is HIS ultimate responsibility (if you will) to run the program and that he is overstepping the SM. The SM himself should probably be the one to address the situation though...

Sue M.

I am trying to remember but I -think- that on the first day of our course, we WERE issued ribbons in those colors when we checked in and we used them as a means of identifying each other as patrol members.

sue m.

After several plans and changes of plans..I finally got presented with my beads tonight at our district Recognition dinner!! I have been done since the first of October, but just could not get things to work out with my presenter for other occasions until now. It worked out great though because 2 of my BLT patrol mates, who also did WB with me (though in different patrols) also finished their tickets and were able to get their beads with me, so it made it even more special. All my Beaver patrol mates were in attendance and I got a great new critter to add to my collection. I'm so glad that it finally happened!!

Sue M.

Sounds like a Monty Python movie..can't think of which one though..Holy Grail????

Eagle76,

Congratulations!! I know that you will enjoy the course! You are right that you can't think "short term" many of the goals that you envision do take some time but they ARE obtainable! When I first took over, I had to keep reminding myself that if I even saw ONE positive step at each meeting, that THAT was progress! It takes time for some of these concepts to sink in with the boys who have not had an example to follow. When you come home from a meeting and wonder "WHY am I doing this??" just keep telling yourself "it's for the boys!"

Let us know how things are going.

sue m.