Brewmeister

That's a false dichotomy. Scouting is the only youth group that meets year round. Life happens. No troop has people with completely similar priorities and clear calendars to make every event every time.

We have four patrols which are (for good or bad) age based. At any one campout attendance is hit or miss but we usually end up with two to three ad hoc patrols that by process of combination do end up being mixed age. It does work ok, but because "camping patrols" aren't the same one outing to the next there isn't the identity building that would happen with more continuity. It feels a bit like we are an arbitrarily split up troop rather than a collection of true patrols. I suspect this is fairly common in today's age of over-scheduled youth. Any thoughts?

Hey, let's not be sexist here. What about the tartan kilt? If you have the legs to pull it off, more power to ya.

Because Americans do a better job of taking care of the outdoors and cleaning up our messes than anyone else on the planet? (Hoo boy now I've done it)

Similar experience, similar results. I have actually led a few merit badge classes in our troop despite my objections to the process. I figured at least I knew they would be done right, since we were going to do them either way. The boys get a blank card at the beginning of the meeting and it is their responsibility. I tell them upfront that this was just a "kickoff" meeting and that, while we'd be covering some things as group work, there were things they needed to do on their own. For instance, I kicked off the Cooking merit badge last winter. We did the bookwork stuff and the

Much cheaper for dad to just buy the patches at the scout shop. I think they're less than $2 each.

Sorry to say, but if you had boys who did not serve as master of ceremonies, they did not complete the Communications badge, and if it was awarded it was not earned. Which is sad because it's an Eagle badge. If the card is signed off, it's a done deal, unless you can appeal to the boys that a shortcut was unintentionally taken, and will they live up to the Scout Law and finish it after the awarding of the patch? We've gone through this to some extent with our troop. I've argued against merit badge meetings (we have separate meetings from the troop meetings), but ended up locking horns wi

Ok, well, ya, I kind of missed that point I guess...my bad

Every parent/guardian is given an Adult Leader application at the roundup and asked to fill it out. We explain to them why we are asking for it, which is after our pitch about how CS is a family oriented program. When they turn it in, we ask them if they want to be involved as a leader or behind the scenes. We don't actually put them on the roster off the bat, but we have the applications on hand for if we do. We make it a regular practice to assign and volunteer tasks at meetings so it's not just the "tan shirts" in front of the room. As the pack has grown we've had pretty good success with f

Well that is an excellent point KDD and one that I don't have an answer to. How is it that a sports team can require you to be there for X number of practices or you don't play? Because people put up with it. There is a demand for sports. If a troop or pack were to require attendance, what would happen?

We picked up 7 more by word of mouth since the roundup. So, we're triple the size we were when my son was a tiger way back when, again despite a decline in school enrollment. It comes back to putting the right people in the role, which requires having the right people in the first place. That takes a bit of luck but a unit does tend to attract like-minded people over time. I've stayed involved in the pack long after my son was gone because I like the leadership. Boys and families are attracted to the program, but the program relies on people. Any unit, including ours, is always on th

As I've been told, "Active = Registered." Unfortunately.

Edit: I thought you were arguing the point, then I thought you were providing an example in agreement, and now I'm just not sure!

I agree that calling 17 year old eagles "deathbed" eagles is using a broad (and unfair) brush. But so is calling a 13-year old eagle an "asterisk" eagle. Again-- Every. Boy. Is. Different.

Now, now, Kudu, you're the one that cited the "Master and Commander" example of a 13 year old boy capable of captaining a ship, wasn't it? So by your logic this particular boy could well be capable of displaying the leadership and mastery of skill that you value. None of us, including you, know this specific boy, or this specific circumstance.

Eagledad, I'm sure you also know of many deathbed Eagles who have barely darkened the door of the Scout house between the ages of 14 and 17. It cuts both ways. The facts are that we don't know this particular boy, it is all just conjecture.

One might say that you'd be butthurt...

So that troop has a motivated scout who has completed the requirements and for whom there is no substantive performance reason for not "passing" other than "too young?" What a tragic way to discourage someone from remaining in scouting. How motivated do you think that boy is going to be after "failing" conference after conference? And on here we bemoan constantly--how do we keep boys involved in the troop, etc etc etc. If there were meant to be an age minimum for Eagle, or any rank, it would be in the handbook. There is not and therefore cannot be added. Period. Regarding any

Cub Scouts Assaulted on Canoe Trip; BSA Denies Coverage A recent canoe trip has left several young boys injured and the Boy Scouts of America denying any liability for the incident. According to Cub Scout Den Leader John Smith, his group of 9-year old boys were on a short canoe outing on Big Lake, accompanied by their parents. "Suddenly this guy comes up to us, calling himself Kudu, ranting and raving about the scout charter," said Mr. Smith. "I heard him say, 'You young hoodlums should be back with your den mothers making macaroni art, not out on the water where only red-bloo

Well there's the answer, isn't it. Scouting is a competition to you...a game of one-upsmanship. How sad. Now, let's see, on the first page you wrote: But now you say: So a lanyard doodad is ok, but a button doodad is not ok? Now you are just contradicting yourself. The best way to see how a scout performs is to SEE how they perform and ask them some questions (which you are loathe to do). That process does not require another doodad on the uniform. But you've already been told that, so...it's sort of pointless to talk with you from here on out.

Your Troop seems to be lax on teaching the Scout Oath and Law also. Perhaps you should have them implement a new award where they stop you once a month, and have you prove you know what they are, what they mean, and that you actually do try to live by them. Unfortunately, from your comments here, you seem to be sorely lacking in the Courteous part, along with a few others. Young man, being on an internet board, and feeling that you are "immune" to consequences, does NOT excuse the above behavior. Especially on a Scout forum, from someone claiming to be an under 18, Boy Scout, and a

Cub Scouts Assaulted on Canoe Trip; BSA Denies Coverage A recent canoe trip has left several young boys injured and the Boy Scouts of America denying any liability for the incident. According to Cub Scout Den Leader John Smith, his group of 9-year old boys were on a short canoe outing on Big Lake, accompanied by their parents. "Suddenly this guy comes up to us, calling himself Kudu, ranting and raving about the scout charter," said Mr. Smith. "I heard him say, 'You young hoodlums should be back with your den mothers making macaroni art, not out on the water where only red-bloo

Your Troop seems to be lax on teaching the Scout Oath and Law also. Perhaps you should have them implement a new award where they stop you once a month, and have you prove you know what they are, what they mean, and that you actually do try to live by them. Unfortunately, from your comments here, you seem to be sorely lacking in the Courteous part, along with a few others. Young man, being on an internet board, and feeling that you are "immune" to consequences, does NOT excuse the above behavior. Especially on a Scout forum, from someone claiming to be an under 18, Boy Scout, and a

Nice, basementdweller, real nice... Not only no sense of humor but no scoutlike demeanor either. I feel sorry for the boys in your troop, if you actually do have one.