Tampa Turtle

I for one am not going to train my boys on how to resist interrogation! I have a hard enough time getting any information out of them now anyhow.

I would take care to make the wording simple. There are different phrases unique to certain countries and groups.

Have to agree. You have to do the right thing and report it but need to move on. Not fair but your relationship with them is forever damaged.

I hate this part of the job.

Simply appalling behavior,

I try to treat the boys like (potential) Gentlemen and there are some discussions that are clearly inappropriate. I really do not want to know about their sexuality, period. If there was one boy saying that another boy approached him than that is the time for the SM to step in and earn his pay. If there was contact, then bingo, we are in another territory. That SM should have kicked everyone else out, called a parent and had a discussion privately if at all. All those ASM's seems like a lynching.

This is such a slippery slope in so many ways. How many folks are confused about their sexuality at that age one way or another. What if he declared he was straight but liked to dress up in woman's clothes? Would that be OK? I have known effeminate men who were straight and gay men who were tough outdoorsman; short of direct-and I mean really direct, evidence how could anyone make that determination.

We had a much smaller controversy over a proposed double entendre Patrol name. Some parents freaked over it and the other parents freaked over the fact the other parents were objecting. Nearly tore the Troop apart. I handled it poorly. These things need to be done with sensitivity if done at all.

I think I need more info regarding the trash-can Turkey. A little hesitation since it is food. I have experienced both Cadmium and Beryllium poisoning and would like to avoid Zinc! (

I will say my earlier experiences obviously neither killed me nor gave me super powers)

Yeah, yeah I now have a standard speech when a boy gives me a "do your best", "Do your best if foe cub scouts, Boy Scouts is Be Prepared. Do be prepared you need to do and know the requirements. We will let you try 100 times and we will help you learn it but you have to do it."

See that only took me a year!

Engineer,

Than why do boys bother signing up for football? How many hours a week does that take up during season. Sure is a heck lot more than when I was a kid and around here they have waiting lists.

I agree with Eamonn,

It is up to us. I know my first year as ASM I was lacking the skills I was reviewing. My SM training class at camp was good (at least for fire starting, knots, setting up tarps, etc). I have to keep practicing.

Even if we complain about the local Council/District training it is our responsibility to make sure all the adults are learning their skills. I think I will try starting some Troop level training for adults so we can demonstrate these things when the boys are not around, go over advancement policy, etc.

Additional Question.

I have seen Troops make "trash-can" Turkey where they take coals, a turkey on a spit, and place a trash-can (which I presume is galvanized steel straight from China) over it. Cooks for hours. I know the trashcan gets too hot to touch.

Is there a zinc hazard there?

Why the heck can't you camp as a patrol even if you still had two adult leaders near by? Maybe I do not understand your point -some Troops are small enough to be 1 Patrol. Does the word "Troop" convey some magical power than the word "Patrol"?

Or do you mean that the Patrol camps without any adult supervision at all?

Beardad,

It is cool when they get to use their skill. When our elderly dog broke her leg, my wife panicked but the boys made a splint and immobilized the leg.

Well dang Beardad I wasted a perfectly good self-righteous rant on that. Even shared it with my wife so we could feel morally superior to ignoring our sons at camp. Its getting so you ant even trust the stuff you see on the internet.

It is a slippery slope from laser tag to water pistols and marshmallow shooters.

Good line. What do I know I never got tenure. I used to sit in on some nasty faculty meetings. I used to tell some of them "you know anywhere else they expect you to put in 40 hours a week". I was a young smart ass. Some of the old guys didn't trust me because I didn't drink during class or sleep with the more comely students.

There's some great PhD's guys, the ones who really know their stuff and like to share it. I was partial to the Biologists. In general I think the sciences and engineering were more relevant than the humanities.

Good advice. I will drop the terms in our meetings.

Yes we have used "primitive camping areas." But with 40-50 guys it ain't that primitive.

We used some nice SWFMD properties, non-surprisingly the lack of potable water makes them not too crowded.

Thanks Kudu,

I will remember the key word is "remote camping".

TAHAWK, I love the idea of inviting the MB Counselors to the campsite, maybe for a cobbler or something. Yeah a lot of 'em are just kids. Some of them are fantastic and some of need a nudge but it cannot hurt. We usually bring extra shirts and give them out to the MB counselors we think did an outstanding job.

As I would want to educate and reeducate scouts on LNT and this would identify experts for questions at meetings and campouts I would let them where it. This is not a hill I would choose to die on.

Agree with the SM conf on the side. Yes we all do stupid stuff.

However I have seen these things, due to the persistent and viral nature of the internet, positively destroy some of out high school kids. Reputations, if not ruined, severely damaged. Bad, bad stuff. The old school rumor mill on steroids. I would caution them that it can serious consequences when they want to get a job, college, military etc. I used to hire people, I might hold it against them -- and I would check.

I like the "you live the scout oath and law 24-7" attitude correctly expressed here. I have used that with my son just last night -seemed to help.

Story 1:

Had 2 of our youngest and smallest newbies enthusiastically volunteer for cleaning pots and pans, waiter duty, and even cleaning the latrine. Shocked it was my youngest son. Heard an very jaded older boy tell another to lay off them "good kids, there all right". High praise indeed.

Story 2:

Did Polar Bear plunge. Only qualified as "Beginner" at Swim Test (health issues). 100 guys swim out to platform me I stay in "the baby pool". When it was time to sing you could hear me real good! Was very grateful when a lone boy showed up late to join me in the Beginner section. Thanks Melvin from Pensacola, wherever you are.

I used to work in Academia. I think a PhD is a method where you take a bright person with a good mind and ruin them. In order to find a virgin topic to become an expert in you have to do so many contortions it seems like you become less and less relevant. We used to joke it would be better to have two masters and carve out your own niche that way.

Of course in many departments no PhD no tenure. And yes getting tenure is highly political. (not just a conservative-liberal thing either)

I do think that scouting has imperialist routes but that is just part of our heritage. He was an officer of the british empire. Old BP was pretty enlightened for his day. I think his open mindiness and positive faith in the youth of the world was why Scouting became so popular in so many countries.

Ah yes, fun. Gotta remember that one. I thought boy scouts was all checking off checklists.

My experience in many places in Florida is similar. Tight, crowded campsites and between environmental restrictions, fire danger, and LNT (reuse existing campsites) it can get crowded. I suppose we may need to start reserving additional campsites but that will drive up costs.

In our case we will start the push toward more Patrol separation and Patrol only campouts. So maybe what I perceive as a problem is more achievable than it seems.

Some of this is because, as I see it, Scouting is counter-cultural. Our society places great emphasis on the illusion of optimizing each moment of the day for the greatest efficiency. Multi-task, buy tools not make them, map the most direct path between start and goal, maximize value, minimize cost. Taking your baby for a stroll --get on the cell phone. Watch TV, work on the laptop, talk to your wife. As a nation we do not invest and build like we used to.

We keep saying it is the journey not the destination that is important. We tell the boys to slow down and enjoy this time of their lives.

But we are increasingly surrounded by parents and scout leaders who see nothing wrong with speeding things along. They fundamentally see things differently.

Now I am OK being counter-cultural; I am a bit of a contrarian anyway. My special needs son as dropped me clear out of the my son will beat your son rat race. He will get there when he gets there and it has taught me a lot along the way.

I do think we have stumbled upon (or more likely regurgitated as issues here get rehashed) a fundamental point: the T-1 program has gone awry. I think it will work if done properly over 12-16 months. I think it is getting increasingly compressed and the resulting 1st Class boys are much less skilled even if committed. This ripples forward all the way to Eagle in the forms of token advancement, poor campers, and additional adult propping up.

Very impressive.

I have the same battle and full blown Diabetes 2. I have had to lose 30 pounds in the last 3 months and have 20 to go. I have been yo-yo-ing since 6 grade so I can certainly identify. It doesn't help getting older.

I will give BSA credit. My new (mean) doctor held that health form over my head until I started heading left on that BMI chart. So I was extra motivated as I didn't want to let the boys down for Summer Camp.

My health problems have improved though naturally camp food is a problem carb-wise. (I can only manage my Blood Sugar with 150 carbs a day at 15-20 carbs at a time). At least when I do a big hike I get to eat a (little) more.

I still wish Mazzuca would set a better example. Leadership 101.