SM bob

Den leaders usually are a parent of a cub in a den and move up with the den. I would not want to lead a den while arranging for my son to be at some other den leaders meeting. What a pain in the butt. Tell the new CM to back off or he will lose two den leaders.

I send out an email 60 days, 30 days, and then a 15 days to camp. We then meet 1 week prior to camp. The scouts go through their gear, forms, and then pack and lock the trailer. No last minute surprises.

Your cubs can go to any camp you want to sign them up for. My pack is split on two day camp programs. The tigers, wolfs and bears are going to a Friday/Saturday camp by other district. The Webelos are going to a evening camp 3 hrs m-thr. It's your pack and more importantly your money. Go where you want to go.

Our troop bylaws state that the troop size is dependent on the adult participation. There have been a few times I have called up parents and informed them that it's their turn to help drive scouts to an event.

My two cents. Decline him for scout spirit. Then explain your expectations in less then 5min. Afterwards have another meeting with him, his parents, CC, and yourself about the bullying. Make it less "come to Jesus" and more "these are our expectations". Kids need to know when they are acting like jerks, but that you will not be holding a grudge. This scout seems fixable, he just needs a kick in the butt.

I would not get too fixated on the letter of the law. Instead focus on the spirit. Long term camp is for the scout to experience seperation from his family. It's also for him to experience camping with a troop for more than a week.

My pack always had the Webelos scouts sleep in a tent as a group with parents in there own tents. That way a scout could come to the campout without his parents. Tigers, wolfs, and bears must have their parents with them. Plus this prepared the Webelos for Boy Scouts.

Tell us how you feel GA Mom. The BSA has many faults. Mainly because it's a huge organization that spans our country. But for the most part they get it right. Boy Scouts is the cheapest activity I can put my sons in when you compare cost vs time. BSA allows units the freedom to conduct the program how they see fit. Some units focus on camping and outdoor skills, others have strong religious affiliations, and some are more indoor focused. But it's a program that let's boys be boys and practice leadership skills. I witnessed the change in my son and the other scouts as they have worked through

We charge each scout and registered adult the $24 to register yearly. Our dues are $25/month. That does not include summer camp or food for camping trips ($10). The troop does fundraising during the year to help offset the cost of summer camp. Camping fees, gear rentals, troop equipment, merit badges, and other things cost money. Volunteer to help out with the committee and look into the cost of the program. Scouting is cheaper in the long run than any other extracurricular activity. Hour for hour you cannot beat the cost. Also don't rush out to buy all the camping equipment your son might

It's the journey and not the goal that should be enjoyed. As I tell my sons you get what you put into it.

It depends on the troop. In my council there are troops that are disability oriented. Those troops have a higher degree of parental involvement. Contact your district executive they will be able to get your contact info. A second option is a smaller troop. They might be better suited to your son. Big troops are noisy, chaotic, and sometimes impersonal.

We scouters know how this happened. An adult bullied scouts into getting their way. As a SM or ASM scouts listen and respect us. If a mom came up to a OA member and showed a signed form by a unit leader they would not questions it. The adult members of the lodge should take heed of this situation and provide some oversight in the future. The adult OA members should be in the shadows of the checkin area to make sure stuff like does not happen. The number of outraged responses shows that this is not normal. My own lodge has two OA scouts check in all ordeal candidates. Behind them sits an adult

JC's mom - It's sad that this has happened. I would talk to the SM and the CC about my issues. Then I would walk away from it. Your son went through the ordeal and probably is better for it. The other scouts knows his helicopter mom got him in. I am guessing he is feeling pretty ashamed of this due to the reaction of his fellow scouts. The boys went through their ordeals they are both in. Going forward the SM will now have to clean house and deal with the parents side of the troop. I know you feel betrayed but try to keep the parent issues away from your son. The scouts in the troop need to de

Peregrenator. I agree with you that Baden-Powell knew of atheist, but what I meant was that most people of his time could not understand them. Atheist were more fringe.

Atheist and fundamentalist Christians have the most extreme views. They are also blinded by those views. The people pushing for gay rights just want gay rights. Most do not want to go out camping. Most do not give their free time mentoring young boys and girls (scouts and ventures) about self reliance or being prepared. The fundamentalist Christians push there beliefs on scouts beyond what Baden Powell would have wanted. Powell wanted scouts to feel the power of nature and question existence. To realize that nature is a gift. And maybe see a higher being behind it all. It's sad that both c

I have been in that situation. I'm sorry you are in it. You cannot separate the parents from the scouts when asking someone to leave. I would ask all parents to get ready to camp. If adults do not start volunteering, start decreasing your troop size. Cut the families with the least participation first. My troop has a two strike anti-drama system. 1st time warning. 2nd time expulsion from the troop. All parents agree prior to completing the applications. When I was an ASM, in another troop, a parent yelled at summer camp staff during family day. A few months later he threatened me during a ca

1st - Luckily no one cares about Atheists. We can exclude them without bad press. 2nd - The oath and law were intended to give a framework of social values. To instill a sense of being an active member of the community. In Baden Powell's time one could not contemplate an atheist. Being an atheist is similar to not believing in the pope in the 15th century. Times change. I believe you could be an excellent scout or scouter without believing in god. 3rd - The law and oath are different depending on the country. Change can be painful, but it's not always a bad thing.

We charge $25 a month. That includes the camping fee (food is up to the patrol). We use the money to pay for our outdoor program. Parents now see it as a waste of their money if their scout is not participating. Plus SM conferences for advancements are only held at campouts. Otherwise it interrupts the meeting.

I agree that the lack of community and the over scheduled life is what hurts marriages. The LDS understand this issue. Thats why they have Sunday as family, couple, then separated services followed by the whole family getting together for Sunday dinner. We as a culture have lost the neighborhood community support structure that helps couples. Neighbors used to watch each other's kids so couples go out on date nights. People would hang out in front of the house talking as kids play. The ME generation does not or were ever exposed to community system that helped families work through issues.

My parents had a bad marriage that ended in divorce when I was young. At the time and later I was glad they divorced. Both my parents love me. I myself have fought with my wife and almost got a divorce. At the last monument my wife and I decided to work harder and stay married. Children are not blind or deaf. They see fighting, infidelity, loveless marriages, substance abuse. Living in that environment will scar them. Children will believe those types of situations is what marriages is supposed to be. That is the danger to children.

I am a BSA climbing instructor. Cubs can use a climbing tower as long as it uses auto belay devices and run by a commercial company. If it's a district auto belay tower you need two BSA certified climbing instructors working it . Cubs can also climb in any commercial climbing gym. Cubs cannot rappel, but Webelos and scouts can. Cubs and Webelos can not rock climb using a belay rope. Only scouts can rock climb without the use of any auto belay.

I believe in boy run - adult led program. The scouts decide the camping weekend, meeting activists, weekend day trips, merit badges to work on...etc. That is boy run. The adults make the decisions of the scouts happen. They provide guidance and leadership when needed. And lastly the adults work to ensure the activities are performs as safely as possible. The adults should not micro manage or be too involved with the scouts. They need to let the scouts succeed or fail on there own. I have seen older scout leaders that could plan and execute the entire program. My last two spl's were younger a

The thread has derailed a bit. For the record. I split off from my sons first troop when they did not follow the BSA program. Their was no direction. All of the adults wanted to backseat drive, but wouldn't take the lead. I was dealing with a lot of baggage that I had no control over. The last straw was when the CC, COR, and EO told me that the troop should not camp every month or meet over the summer. So I created the new troop. 5 families formed the troop with me. We formed our own nonprofit corporation. My wife is the president with two other directors. I wrote the bylaws for the corporat

You have all voiced some of my thoughts. The other troop would be merging into my troop. I would stay the SM and the CC would stay the same. My troop is self chartered so in effect I direct the troop. The families would have to agree to our bylaws and methods. The important question for me was how to merge in older scouts to our existing two patrols. My plan was to bring the other scouts in as a new patrol. Then when ready call for elections. Their scouts need POR's and so do my scouts. I don't want my existing scout to feel that they are being pushed out or marginalized by the older scouts. I

I have been asked by another troop if they could merge with mine. It would double my troop size. The other troop has more older scouts than mine. I don't know much about the other troop, other than they are having a problem with their CO. If we come to an agreement I don't want problems to creep up latter. Have any of you been in this situation?