Twocubdad

I'll agree with you that the process of requesting and collecting references is an important life skill. But it that's the focus, we need to do a better job of teaching the Scouts how to go about it. I once received the following text: "mr tcd can I use you for a reference" . While I give the follow credit for at least asking (I've been called by potential employers of Scouts how haven't asked), my initial reaction was "hell no." Upon reflection I responded with, "Who is this?" Kids who believe they occupy he center of the universe also tend to believe EVERYONE has them in their directo

Self esteem is over rated. More important are the other people and principles you hold in high esteem.

Pack -- did you read the article? It was their mom delivering their new sister. I hope their insurance covers psychological services.

Reference letters from parents are just silly. The good news is they are the only letters we can count on receiving in a timely fashion. Our council was one at which the new rules were directed (i.e.: Scouts aren't expected to chase references for letters nor can an app or BOR be held up waiting on letters.) Still, the council requires the five letters be submitted with the Eagle application and stipulates that the unit is responsible for chasing them. These letters are a huge PIA. I tell Eagle candidates the first thing the need to do upon finishing the requirements it to start

Our patrols have the nesting cook kit of pots and pans, but each boy brings his own mess kit. We get everything from Lexan and titanium to old Cool Whip containers and Frisbees.

I wear ball caps most everywhere. I have a campaign hat I wore frequently in cubs, but not so much with the troop. I have in mind it is for formal occasions, and don't wear it out in the weather. I've got a couple Tilley's (one original and one of the new light-weight hats) I wear on outings when I need a real hat.

Coming kinda late to my own party. Just back from a long weekend in the woods. I don't really see this as a paper vs. computer issue, although that's a component. The problem is the pack is stealing from the Scouts. They are stealing an opportunity for them to learn responsibility, an opportunity to accomplish something for themselves and have the sense of satisfaction which comes from both. I've since had a dad explain their process a little more. Apparently the boys can participate in a den activity -- knot tying, for example. Maybe, maybe not they are aware there are requirem

I got way-laid last night by something I never saw coming. We've been dealing with a lot of frustration with this year's crop of new Scouts and their parents over the pace of advancement. Only one or two of 16 boys have made Tenderfoot since crossing over in March. Not being terribly advancement focused, I've not been too concerned, but I'm getting a lot of guff from parents. In discussing why they boys aren't getting requirement signed off in their handbooks, I learned last night that in the pack, the boys don't have their handbooks signed when they complete a requirement. Apparen

I take Whether OA to mean whether or not to volunteer, a question asked and answered. Hey, if the NA stuff doesn't trip your trigger, find something that does. But it's a step up from our lodge which does neither NA or service well, but seems to focus on "spirit" generally defined as lots of screaming, strict adherence to "themes" and making sure everyone is wearing the proper t-shirt.

I've never seen or heard of a transfer form. I thought you simply completed a membership application with the new troop and checked the "transfer" box and information. No action on the part of the old unit is necessary. Now I usually tell the incoming Scout the courteous thing to do is to let the outgoing SM know what his plans are. I have usually reached out to the other SM and let him know where the Scout has landed. But I don't thing anyone has every paid us that courtesy when a Scout transfers from us to another troop. Advancement is a non-issue. We accept what ever is in comple

I think qwazse is on the right track. It seems like the older Scouts are much more comfortable with "just camping". It seems to take a little maturity to appreciate just being outdoors, sitting around the campfire or hanging in your hammocks with your mates. The younger guys seem to have much greater need to be entertained -- and I do mean BE entertained. They're not much on creating their own activities. During my time as a Scout, that's the only kind of camping we knew. The only variable was how far off the road did we go. Most campouts revolved around the campfire, keeping it the

Any sort of chili, soup or stew is good and easy to scale up of down for the size of the group. One trick we used was to make foil dinners for the Webelos (who needed the cooking for a requirement) and use the same ingredients to make a beef stew for the rest. Large round loaves of sourdough bread are a great addition and can be warmed in a DO or in foil next to the fire. AKdenldr mentioned mountain breakfasts. We do that a frequently when have a bunch to feed. It's a good, hearty meal and all in one pot. I have a large cast-iron, casserole-shaped pan with a lid which is perfect We

I give extra credit for quoting anything from Mel Brooks.

So the solution to retaining older Scouts it to give them the boot? Sure, we can solve the retention overnight by redefining "older" as 13 and 14. How about we learn from our mistakes? The root cause of Webelos/Boy Scout transition losses is we have created this huge opportunity for any boy/family who may have doubts about continuing on to quit. We even throw them a party and make a big deal about having achieved the pinnacle of Cub Scouting. Then we tell them if they want to continue on, they have to fill out forms, move to a different meeting schedule (a much bigger deal than most

In my experience about 25% of older scouts are interested in working with the younger boys. About half of those have the skills and aptitude for doing so. A good Troop Guide is a gem. On the other end, there are about 25% of older Scouts who have no interest in being around the younger guys at all and there always seems to be one or two who seem to have a problem with the concept of Friendly and Kind. For the 50% in the middle, it mostly depends on the individuals, especially the relative maturity of both the younger and older scouts. As to the rumored program changes, we've seen this com

Yeah, I could have spend another half hour writing out interfaith scenarios, but I figured most folk would get that the greater point is to engage the young men and get THEM to consider their own faith and obligations to it.

One of my standard Scoutmaster conference questions is "What is your duty to God and how do you do that?" I then try to just listen. Frequently, however, my side of the conversation ends up explaining to the Scout that BSA only requires a belief in a higher being but does not dictate what that belief should be. That is up to the Scout, his parents and his faith. Yes, consistent with the Declaration of Religious Principals, if you can convince me you are a sincere and faithful Pastafarian and can tell me how you fulfill your duty to your faith, I'm good with that. Obviously, a Pastafari

My direction would depend on my relationship with the various players. I have a good working relationship with most the Scoutmasters in the immediate community and would be comfortable giving them an off-the record head's up. If you're not comfortable with that, I'd have a conversation with the Scout Executive. The SE should be trained to separate the wheat from the chaff here. Stick with the DUI conviction, especially with the other Scoutmaster. The rest may come across as gossip. Whether or not the other troop is aware of and dealing with the DUI will let you know where they stand and i

Pack -- that's kinda where I'm coming from. Do this for a few years and see a number of parents grumbling because their kid's scrap lumber birdhouse kit had a knot hole in it or the snacks you provide ought to be organic then get back to me. My reaction to the OP was the DL was pretty smart getting out ahead of the expense curve by setting the expectation early. I wish I had done that.

Welcome to the forums Karen. Please understand what you're getting into here. You ask for opinions and you certainly get them with no holds barred. Asked whether the cupcakes should have blue icing and gold sprinkles or gold icing with blue sprinkles and you're as likely as not to get a long dissertation on the multitude of errors in how you run the pack. But the truth is you're tapping into a HUGE amount of experience her. Many folks haven't just "been there, done that," they've been and done it annually for many, many years. Very frequently, what comes off as gruff, is simply cut

Youth led does not mean youth led off into a ditch. This isn't "controlled failure," just failure. Part of the job of the adult leadership is to ensure that the consequences of failure fall to those responsible for the failure AND you are still delivering a quality program to the younger Scouts.

Default should always be to keep a boy with his buddies. Being in Scouts with his friends is the #1 predictor of success and longevity in the program. Q-- love the rule. We should have t-shirts made.

Wait, wait, wait.... "Only if you mean 'tweaking' in the same way that.... Wait, stop, I'm writing that one down! Love it!

I'm with Stosh. The only thing I would add would be to make sure whoever is driving these bozos know the pizza/doughnut stop is out of the question. Better yet, they ride with me. (I have a CD of Hank Williams' -- Sr, not Jr. -- Greatest Hits in the truck for just such occasions.) The worst thing that can happen is the bozo patrol parlays their screw up into street cred by eating pizza. I would also think twice about allowing them to negotiate with the younger Scouts for leftovers. I've seen this before -- the screw-ups end up strutting around camp bragging about pizza for breakfast,