ustbeeowl

quoteHahahahahahaah (snort) Beep Repaired. Be Prepared.

Now that one is BAAAaaaaaddddddd!!!!!! (This message has been edited by ustbeeowl)

quoteAs for leaving early, why don't you just ask the scout at the next meeting why they left. Sure, its not courteous to just take off, but maybe they had homework to finish, things of that nature.

Nope, they were just bored, stating that they had already done what the troop was covering for that night. I am going to try and get them to teach the material, since they seem to know it so well, or so they say.(This message has been edited by ustbeeowl)

What are the rules for Scout drivers (under the age of 18)?

We have been having a situation where Scouts who have just received their license, leave the troop meeting early, without obtaining permission of the Adult (SM) in charge.

(So I guess that this is really 2 questions for the price of one!)

What age for drivers and rules around that

and

What to do with Scouts that leave the troop meeting/activity early.

Thanks

One more:

http://www.scouting.org/hr/gtfa.html

and the council number is in the URL of the named council that you choose.

Thanks Pete, for trying to get this thread back on track.

WOW,

So many different comments.

Have any of you shown the letter to your Scouts yet?

I'm not really interested in comments like "what about the trustworthiness of a scout, or having shakedowns before meetings/outings.

I really want to see what the boys think about their gaming habits.

Thanks

John

Time to get this thread back on track.

I'm NOT talking about searching our Scouts before a campout or other outing for any sort of counterband. You are correct that a Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, etc.

I'm NOT talking about dancing.

I'm NOT talking about ANY immoral activty.

What I am talking about is Video Game Addiction.

Eamonn, I agree with you 100% about not believing everything you read on the Internet. What I would like you to do is just talk with the members of your ship about how they feel about video game addiction.

I have had a number of parents in my Troop talk to me about what they can do at their home to help their kids get over this video game addiction. They have seen that their kids undergo changes while playing these types of games and that their kids are very hard to get them to stop playing. When they do either stop or their parents take the games from them, the kids start to go through withdrawal, just like a drug addict "going clean". I've had kids at summer camp that for the first few days without their video games, are real bears to get along with. After a few days, they become fine kids. It is just the first couple of days that is the problem. Just because some are not completly sold on the idea of the addiction, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

I have had some people tell me (at church), after a talk on ADD/ADHD, that they do not believe in ADD or ADHD. They just think that it is an excuse for poor parenting. That, in their day (the 40's + 50's), they would just take their kids out to the woodshed to whip them into submission. What would YOU do with a statement like that?

Some people do not believe that consuming a certain liquid beverage can make them crazy of "addicted" to it. Just talk to the fine folks at AA.

Others believe that watching a ball go around a spinning table, waiting for it to drop into a slot or to pull a handle on a box to watch some spinning wheels after depositing a coin into a slot, that that isn't addicting, just ask the folks at Gamblers Annonoumous what they believe.

Since they are so new, there is not much data on the subject of video game addiction. With this thread, I hope to get some ideas that would help out the Scout and their families in my troop (and other troops) to be able to deal with this.

Thanks for the responses.

It isn't just about bringing the games on Scout trips. It is about video gaming in general and how SOME (not ALL) Scouts and Scouters seem to be addicted. This "open letter" offers some insite as well as a place where you can direct either the Scouts or their parents for some help.

I was also wondering what kind of responses we would get IF this letter was read at a Troop meeting.

John(This message has been edited by ustbeeowl)

Forgot, the link for more info:

www.VideoGameTrouble.org

This is a thread about a growing concern in my troop, and that is of video game addiction.

I have a few Scouts that try to sneak to camp and to the troop meetings, their gameboy's and the like. There is a large number of Scouts, that that is all they seem to think about, and that's what they tend to discuss at meetings and on campouts.

I have searched the web for help as well as talking o parents, pastors and other Scouters.

I came across a book called "Playstation Nation", and it has been a great help in understanding this addiction that a number of Scouts (and a few Scouters) have.

In the book is an open letter to "Gamers", and I have obtained permission to post this letter here on the fourm.

Could you all print this letter out and read it to your Scouts?

It would be interesting to get some feedback about this problem (at least in my troop).

Thanks,

John

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

AN OPEN LETTER TO THOSE WHO LOVE VIDEO GAMES

DEAR VIDEO GAME LOVER:

If you are reading or listening to this letter, it is probably because someone cares deeply about your happiness, health, and potential. Perhaps it is your mom, dad, a friend, or some other loved one. That person has discovered troubling information about video, Internet, and computer games and wants you to know how they can impact your life. We hope you will take these concerns seriously so that you can make wise decisions from this point forward.

You have probably heard that many video games contain violent, inappropriate, and dark themes. If you have played these games, you know what we mean. If you haven't played these games, good for you! Perhaps your parents have carefully monitored which games you have been allowed to play, protecting you from some pretty wretched stuff. Those who produce such games do not care about your well-being, happiness, or potential. They care only about selling as many games as possible, even if it means warping young minds.

Assuming you have managed to avoid such games, we want to explain an equally disturbing danger called video game addiction. A growing body of research shows that the brain reacts to video games similarly to the way it reacts to drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, gambling, and other forms of stimulation. Millions of people have become enslaved to these and other substances or behaviors for the same reasons kids and adults become addicted to video games. Let us briefly explain how this happens.

Playing video games triggers reactions in the human brain similar to those observed among animals seeking food or water. One scientist did an experiment with dogs, ringing a bell every time he served their food. After a while, ringing that bell caused them to salivate no matter the time--even if they were not hungry. The brain's habit continued because of something known as the law of reinforcement. Dogs associated the sound of the bell with food, making them crave it on cue.

Something similar occurs when we play video games regularly or for long periods. A chemical called dopamine begins flooding the brain after only about twenty minutes of video game play. This chemical is about the same as injecting an amphetamine into a person, creating a pleasurable "high" that makes the process addictive. Like the bell and the dogs, kids and adults alike easily become hooked on the feeling. That is why 20 to 25 percent of kids become addicted to video games.

We have interviewed a number of adults who became hooked on video games when they were younger and still struggle to overcome the addiction. They wish someone had read a letter like this to them before they became addicted. Maybe they could have avoided the many regrets-including thousands of hours of wasted time, years of diminished happiness, and countless squandered opportunities. Unfortunately, the research now available was not around when they were young.

You, on the other hand, have an opportunity to avoid making the same mistakes. We encourage you to start by asking those who know you best whether they think you spend too much time playing and talking about video games. Try not to be defensive. Listen with an open heart and mind, since they certainly want what is best for you.

Second, test yourself. Try putting all video, computer, and Internet games away for a month. If you find yourself repeatedly drawn back to them, wishing you could play, thinking and talking about them all the time, then you are probably already hooked, and it would be wise to get rid of them entirely. We encourage you to talk to your parents or someone you trust about helping you through the process. Like any other addiction, breaking this one will take courage and determination because it will involve a period of something called withdrawal-when you feel the emotional, physical, and social effects of stopping an addictive behavior. You may find yourself feeling depressed. That is because the "high" that came from playing games is no longer there. These feelings will pass, and you will eventually rediscover fun and joy apart from the games. Meanwhile, we encourage you to find several other activities you enjoy in order to distract yourself from the withdrawal symptoms.

Finally, replace the time you spend with video games with other, healthier recreational options. Develop a hobby, rent great movies, read good books, play board games, playa sport-you get the idea. There are a million ways you can spend your time. Believe it or not, people found plenty of fun things to do before video games were invented! The hard part, of course, will be that most if not all of your friends are heavily into these games, which could make you feel isolated or out of touch. If this is the case, you might want to read this same letter to your friends and invite them to explore new interests with you.

If you are unable to break the video game habit yourself, it might be necessary for your parents to make the decision for you. The former addicts I interviewed said that they wish their parents had done this for them, even though they would have been angry about it at the time. If your parents feel it necessary to make the tough call for you, please accept it with maturity and recognize they only want what is best for you.

One thing we can say for certain: if you are able to break the video game habit now, you will be glad in years to come that you did. We guarantee that you will be happier and more successful by investing your time and talents in the true and lasting things around you rather than letting what we call the digital drug enslave you.

Kurt and Olivia Bruner

Reprinted with permission from authors Kurt and Olivia Bruner, authors of Playstation Nation

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The "one hour/week" myth...

If you know how to plan and organize your time, AND if you have a dedicated staff that works with you AND knows how the program is supposed to work AND if the Scouts will let you....you should have one hour per week left to spen with your family (NOT your Scout family, either)

My easy meal is 2 eggs, scrambled in a in a zip-lock freezer bag, dropped into boiling water for about 15 minutes. You can add cheese, onions, chopped peppers, pre-cooked sausage or pre-cooked bacon to the bag BEFORE you drop it into the boiling water.

That way every Scout can have his eggs cooked the way he wants them.

Then, when everyone is finished with their eggs, you have a nice pot full of clean, hot water, to do cleaning of plates, untensels, etc.(This message has been edited by ustbeeowl)

My easy meal is 2 eggs, scrambled in a in a zip-lock freezer bag, dropped into boiling water for about 15 minutes. You can add cheese, onions, chopped peppers, pre-cooked sausage or pre-cooked bacon to the bag BEFORE you drop it into the boiling water.

That way every Scout can have his eggs cooked the way he wants them.

Then, when everyone is finished with their eggs, you have a nice pot full of clean, hot water.

You can also go here:

http://tinyurl.com/25rg42

(Note: If you have a really long URL, go to www.tinyurl.com to make that long url something a lot more managable)

John

Just remember:

No Scout ever died from not eating on a weekend camping trip.

That being said,

Why doesn't the Scout in question LEARN to make food "just like McDonalds", instead of buying it?

There are ways to prepare food so it just doesn't taste as good as "normal" food, to make it taste like McD's. (Who would want to pass up a burger cooked over a wood fire vs one cooked on a pan is beyond me).

Fries are easy, too.

If that is all that Scout wants to eat AND his parents are OK with it, then the only ones left to convince are the patrol members.

I would like to see them have a big serving of steak and kidney pie, or even fish and chips

(Edited for food ideas)(This message has been edited by ustbeeowl)

It has not been dropped, since there is NO requirment to fell a tree., the requirment is to cut up a felled (already down) tree.

Check out the requirments here:

http://www.meritbadge.com/awd/paulbunyon.htm

I would also have a meeting with this dad as well as with the SM, ASM's, and the troop committee.

One thing bothers me, though.

Your comment:

>

seems to indicate that the committee does not have enough faith in the REAL leaders of the troop, the SPL and his staff, to take their word on the matter. After all, it is the SPL's troop, and if he sees a problem that he can't handle, he brings it to the SM, which he did. Your committee then dismiss's it as "hear-say".

Work with this dad, but also work with the committee to have them trust the boy leaders in the troop, so that when they see a problem, they won't be rejected. Would your committee believe an adult over the SPL?

Edited because a "cut and paste" didn't work.(This message has been edited by ustbeeowl)

What's wrong with using "old fashioned " hot water bottles instead of using Naglene bottles?

This is one that I have been working on for a while now. I will be giving it to my Scouts this weekend on our January campout. I got the idea from a friends e-mail, and I modified it for the Scouts.

The carrot, the egg and the coffee

You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again........

A young Scout went to his Scoutmaster one campout and told him about his life and how things were so hard for him. He did not know how he was going to make it and wanted to give up and quit. He was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

The Scoutmaster took him to the mess tent. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first pot, he placed carrots, in the second one he placed eggs, and in the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.

Turning to the Scout, he asked, "Tell me what you see."

Carrots, eggs, and coffee," the Scout replied.

The Scoutmaster brought him closer and asked him to feel the carrots. He did and noted that they were soft. The Scoutmaster then asked the Scout to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, the Scout observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the Scoutmaster asked the Scout to sip the coffee. The Scout smiled as he tasted its rich aroma.

The Scout then asked, "What does all of this mean?"

The wise Scoutmaster explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity, or trial if you will...boiling water. Each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

Which are you?" he asked the Scout. "When adversity or hardship knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"

Ask yourself this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Do I forget all that I have been taught in Scouting?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a break-up, a financial hardship, age out of Scouts, never reaching my goal of Eagle or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened and discouraged heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The beans actually change the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor of the coffee beans. If you are like the beans, when things are at their worst, you get better and using your Scouting skills, change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you bring yourself up to a higher level? How do you handle adversity?

Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May we ALL be COFFEE.

(Edited for spelling)(This message has been edited by ustbeeowl)

A little more info:

Check out the following web site from my council (York-Adams Area):

http://www.yaac-bsa.org/camping/conewago/conewago.htm

The Lodge can sleep 21 people. Inside, there is a large stone fireplace, kitchen and sleeping area equipped with bunk beds.

The running water latrine isin another building.

The Rothrocks can sleep 8 people, but for winter cabin camping, you better bring along LOTS of clothing as there are NO windows that can close. These are primarly enclosed shlters with fully open windows.