I think in a lot of cases, people (both scouts and adults/parents) don't think like that. Just like with everything else Little Johnny does, people think it is about getting a check mark. I have had discussions with parents about why their son hasn't had this or that requirement signed off yet when the rest of his buddies have. The first thing I usually did was tell them to ask their son why and if they have and he hasn't told them, I would let them know that these are skills that are needed to be demonstrated, not a requirement that they can read back and have checked off.
On a bit of a tangent, I was shocked when I was on a campout last month and our Troop Guide was teaching the boys about fire safety and helping them earn their Firem'n Chit and I asked about having them start fires like the scouts used to have to do in order to earn that, I was told that they didn't have to do that anymore. Shouldn't starting a fire be part of earning the Firem'n Chit?
Requirement Sign Off
in Open Discussion - Program
Posted · Edited by kissmekate
Actually, the Firem'n Chit does not require the scout to start a fire. Here is a link to the requirements: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/MeritBadges/firem.aspx