Grubdad

Hope nobody minds, but I wanted to post a follow-up update to this thread I started last year. Summer Camp was the straw that broke the camel's back. Constant fighting, bickering, negativity, conflict with other troops, insubordination, etc, with no consequences. After returning home, the six of us dads whose boys had all crossed over to this troop together that year had a meeting to discuss it. This was in July. All except me decided to state our concerns to Troop leadership and committee, and then wait until the end of the year to see major changes. I decided to give them a month. At the

Thanks for the reply, Eagle94-A1 My boy and I visited a campout with another Troop this last weekend to see them in action for a few hours. The difference I saw between the two troops is remarkable. With this new troop we're checking out, it seemed like everyone really got along well together. The adult leaders agreed that sure, they have their occasional squabbles in their troop, but these disputes were dealt with quickly, quietly, firmly and fairly. I know I just saw a small sample of their time together, but I think it was still informative. I compare it to that campout with our

Good suggestion, as always, Krampus. It seems obvious that we should be able to get a straight answer. I guess I have gotten so used to this troop, and our Cub pack before, sweeping these things under the rug, that I am assuming all troops might tend to talk a good game, but with no follow through. I was also a bit hesitant to discuss specific situations with other troops, because I didn't want to air the dirty laundry of the current one, or appear to bad-mouth them. But I think you are right. If I don't come right out and get straight to the point, I won't have done my research effect

OP here. I have been putting a lot of time and effort into trying to figure out this situation. To summarize, without getting into too many details and anecdotes: - At the Campout we attended, there were a few boys who blatantly and almost continuously acted in ways that were unacceptable, including disregard and backtalk to adult and scout leaders, regular foul language including the F-word and racial slurs, and almost constant yelling/arguing/taunting/shoving others. These are not kids with disabilities or special needs, which we also have a few of in the troop, and who do very well.

None of the leaders witnessed this. We were attending as Cub visitors. I was at the back of the hiking group when this happened, and didn't see it clearly, but other Scouts and Cubs did. IIRC the offenders made some lame excuse like they couldn't hold it or something. So I probably was to blame for not dealing with it it more vigorously. I think I mentioned it to the ASM that evening, who kind of shrugged it off. If I reported every obnoxious thing this kid did I would be running to the SM every half hour. This is the son of our former Pack Scoutmaster, currently one of the Troop's ASMs.

Thanks for your support, Krampus. This example I gave was from last fall, so it's too late to address it now. But it is something that should be filed away for reference.

OP here. I really appreciate these thoughtful replies. You have given me a lot to think about. At the Troop meeting last night, one of the Assistant SMs, who I know well from our Cub pack, asked me about some of the issues from last weekend. Apparently he had heard that things had gotten a bit out of hand at the Camporee. We talked a bit about some of the chronic challenges a few of these boys had posed, and he is planning to get the parents involved, and give notice that their behavior won't be tolerated any more. He quizzed me about what happened on the trip, so I gave him some e

Hey "Beavah". I'm getting a little exhausted by your mis-quoting me and making wildly incorrect assumptions. In your first post you said: "First, speak to the Scoutmaster as a friend and supportive individual. Have other parents do the same. Lots of times it helps to be confronted with the impact a poorly behaving boy is havin' on da other boys. The second suggestion is that yeh need a new Scoutmaster, eh?" I wasn't even considering your second suggestion because it certainly did not seem to be my place to advocate this, and I think the SM is a good guy and I'd like to help him.

I posted my last reply before I read Stosh's excellent post. I am torn between the punishment vs. nurture choice. I agree that Scouting should be a positive and guiding influence for all boys, and especially for those that need that extra guidance and structure because of a deficit in their own lives. I was one of those boys. So I am not wanting to immediately kick anyone out, with the possible exception of the #1 troublemaker who has been a toxic element for seven years now, since I first encountered him in Cubs. I know at least three families in our Cub pack who quit Scouting because

OP here. Thanks for the responses. I am getting some very useful input here. I had lunch yesterday with one of the dads from our previous Cub den who is a good friend. We decided it would be a good idea for the four former Cub dads who were on this campout to meet with the SM to talk about the experience, share what we observed, and see how we can improve. I was reminded by my friend about yet another incident last weekend where the #1 perp on this trip also made a particularly bad racial slur. This was not one of those little comments that could have been open to interpretation, but i

Thanks a lot for the great replies. Let me clarify a few things. I am just a dad who intends to participate in every activity and campout with my son, as I did in Cubs. I have no leadership position. I understand policies and procedures won't fix things. I am just trying to get a feel for what is considered unacceptable, and how it is typically dealt with. This has been a problem with these particular boys for years. Five years from our personal experiences with the #1 troublemaker I talked about first, who had also been in our Cub Pack. These are not isolated or occasional inc

My Cub just crossed over into a Boy Scout Troop along with 5 other of his den mates, most of whom have been together since they were Tigers. They are a great group of boys: well-behaved, active, polite, and fun (with the occasional boys-will-be-boys exception). They all love the Scouting experience, especially camping, and are thrilled to be actual Scouts now. This new Troop seems good in many ways, very active, with a good Scoutmaster and some great older boys. But there are a few boys who are ruining the experience for many of the other Scouts, and for the parents who attend campouts and ev

Wow. Thanks for all the great responses! I think I am leaning toward stainless. As much as I like the idea of cast iron, I think stainless might be a little more foolproof, and a lot easier to care for in the long periods between campouts. Most of our meals have a grilled meat component that we do over charcoal or wood. Simple enough. Often we will have a big pot meal, like spaghetti. We definitely need a new giant pot or two for this. Another pot or two for heating sauce and meatballs. And then there is the fried stuff- pancakes, sausage, eggs, etc. This is the most challenging

Hi, everyone. I am interested in your opinions and suggestions on the best cookware for our Cub campouts. (These don't actually involve actual camping, but instead sleeping in a bunkhouse, and cooking on a normal kitchen stove or a charcoal grill or, rarely, an actual campfire. So weight isn't an issue) I am volunteering to help the pack select and buy new cookware, most importantly pots, pans, and maybe a griddle. Our current stuff is a mish-mash of battered non-stick stuff. We often need to cook for a big group- like 60 or more people. I am leaning away from non-stick, because