WisconsinMomma

On 5/13/2018 at 10:01 PM, Laxplr21 said:

I did not like this game during my WB course.  I really questioned wither I would come back the second weekend.  I know a few did not and it influenced them.  I understand the point of getting through the storming phase, but it wasn't debriefed well to us.  It was one of the factors that ruined my experience with WB.  I just got my ticket done and left it in the past.  I flatly refuse to do this game ever again regardless of it being in scouts or the real world.  I believe this section of the course needs to be readdressed and possibly altered.

It was a rough  night in our WB course, but, it was also interesting to reflect on.  I think I learned things from the exercise.  Of course, it is a struggle to be set up to be in competition, then have the objective changed to be cooperation.  It's a trick.  I was in competitive mode the whole time, and having a big failure is always a learning experience. We had a cracker barrel afterward and some time to chat.  It was very dramatic for us.  Rough but we moved on and it is not the main feature of WB, or my most vivid memory from the course, we had so many other positive moments that are more significant than Win  All You Can. 

My husband is taking Wood Badge this year but I don't think I should warn him, should I? 

I would like to say I really don't care how colleges view my boys' Eagle awards, if they even get them.   If a college looks at my kids and doesn't see them as wonderful people, then it's their loss.  And, I get that top colleges are competitive, but I don't really know if my kids will be chasing top colleges.  

What I want in an Eagle Scout journey for my sons is the maturity and real world experience the journey gives them.  

My boys are youngish, 11 and 13 and they are just starting to learn.  My older son was supposed to lead cooking on this last weekend's campout and I heard it did not go well.  But he's 13 and hopefully he will get more chances to do better and he will get better in time.  It was his first time trying.  Hopefully he gets lots of experiences!

He is getting closer to first class.  One baby step at a time.

I don't care how other people view Eagle, I care about formation.  If my boys learn the skills, that's the point, they will be better off than where they started. Schools do not do a complete job with young people,  I view Scouts as an important educational experience. 

Nice Kilt!

I will say, I hate BSA pants.  I have women's pants, two pair in the tech fabric and one in the cotton and I hate them all.  I wear them because I wear the uniform, but I do not like wearing them.  The shirt is fine. 

I don't have a lot of opinions on the new uniforms, I hope they make more choices in olive for women's pants.  I will need a new shirt for BSA soon but may buy a secondhand shirt.

In other news, my youngest became a WEBELOS scout this week.  He wants to wear a tan shirt but has to wait one more year!  

On another forum I belong to, someone was bemoaning the decline of their religion, and someone mentioned this book.  I have not read it, but the concept is that many social organizations are struggling.  Bowling Alone, The Collapse and Revival of American Community.

https://www.amazon.com/Bowling-Alone-Collapse-American-Community/dp/0743203046/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526652514&sr=8-1&keywords=bowling+alone

It looks like red wolf neckerchiefs are on backorder at the online shop.  We are doing crossover next week, and I wonder if we should try to go red? 

What I noticed in our last Pack committee discussion is a sense of fear of treating the girls "unequally", and it seems that some think that co-ed will reduce risk of being accused of being unfair.  I think that some folks on our committee (in cubs) are afraid of looking bad, and that they think that separation is inherently wrong. I would like to find ways to encourage the girls and boys to have their own space but I'm not sure it will fly at all with people who are concerned about political correctness and perceived injustice, real or imagined.  It will be interesting to see how it plays out over time. 

I'm not sure that I agree with that.  My bigger concern is that people will demand immediate entry into boys troops because of insufficient volunteers for girls troops.  So, I am really hoping that some strong girls programs will form and that some girls' parents will dig in to volunteering with the BSA.    Not all troops are equal anyway,  each troop has its own personality and strengths and weaknesses.  

It seems that some people are squeamish about perceived discrimination against girls with separate Troops.  I'm not sure I understand it and think it would be good to discuss so we can be prepared to support or defend BSA's policy of separate male and female troops as needed.  Thanks!

Right now, we are only talking about girls in Cub Scouts.  I expect our Troop will stay all boy, and then if they choose to avoid girls,it may just take some creative planning.  

20 minutes ago, Saltface said:

Already?!

Honestly, I really don't know how this will play out in real life until we get there.  It will be a learning experience!

We discussed girls at the committee last night, and our Pack will bring in girl dens if there is interest.  The Pack will also have boys and girls potentially working co-ed as needed for programming, which is a concern, but a few leaders were told "off the record" that this was acceptable to our council and bought into the idea.  So now we will wait and see if any girls take an interest in the Fall recruiting season.  We will not poach from Girl Scouts and it sounds like the families on committee who are active in GSUSA will stick with the program they started with.  It will be interesting to see what the interest level is. 

Hey guys, has anyone been to Tesomas Scout camp?   I don't think they have patrol cooking, but they seem like they are highly rated and I've heard they have scouts from all over come.  I'm also interested in hearing more about Camp Freeland Leslie.  Our troop has been to Gartner Dam for the past 3 years and the boys might get a choice of camps in the future.   Thanks!

15 minutes ago, NJCubScouter said:

I can't help but wonder how much of that kind of attitude really originates with the boys and how much of it is generated by parents and leaders.

Yes, of course, I heard this from a parent.   Perhaps we need to introduce some super-cool high adventure to keep these boys engaged in the next couple years. 

On 5/2/2018 at 12:01 PM, casiodave355 said:

So people,,,, with the girls coming, it is a race. Some girls will be trying to be first in their town/county/state. Other girls may be less than 18 months until they are 18. These timelines are probably one of the reasons the girls portion of the Boy Scout program will not be a soft start like it was for the cubs. This is a real question and thanks everyone for outlining.

The only race I have heard of in our Troop is of the boys who want to finish their Eagles and get out before the girls arrive.  However, I think this is short sighted and the girls won't be in their Troop, so what do they care?  But, it is out there. 

ETA:  This could really hurt our troop if the 16 year olds start bailing out early, it is nice to have older boys to lead the way for the younger ones.  

I just don't care when girls start getting the first Eagle.   They should follow the program, but if it only takes 22 months or whatever, so be it. 

30 minutes ago, Chisos said:

My experience is similar to that of @Eagle94-A1.  Our Pack is staying boys only as is our troop.  Even with all the media hype we've had very little interest from parents interested in getting their girls into the BSA program.  For now if we get any requests I'll probably refer them to other units in our district that are doing to Family/Linked setup; and those parents who want boys in an all-boy unit can refer to us.

I hope when the dust settles there will be variety of different arrangements so that families can pick what's best for them (coed, linked, all-boy, etc.). 

I think at this time it's too early to tell how much interest there is from families of girls for BSA programs.   I mean, it's still barely getting started.   At our Back to School night when we have a recruiting table, it will be interesting to see if any families of girls will ask for info.  Also, I know a lot of girls' families but I need to be careful not to step on the toes of the GSUSA, which of course has many girls right now.  I think the girls' programs will start very very small, but that's OK because it will be more manageable. 

I think it will take at least 2 years before we know whether the girls program really sticks and has sufficient demand or not. 

I talked with another mom today after an event.  She has an older daughter (15) in Girl Scouts who basically just does camp,  a son who left Cub Scouts because he didn't like the group of boys in Scouts and was getting bullied, and a daughter who is in Scouts.  The Girl Scout leader is very very very active and always taking the girls to do things.   I asked my friend if their family would be interested in the BSA, now that there are opportunities for girls.  She didn't know.  I also don't know, because this is all still in the very early stages.  It was difficult to have the conversations talking about girls and scouts but not saying girl scouts.  But it was OK.

In my pack, I think I will ask the CO if they will charter a separate Pack for the girls with their own Pack number, and we will share Pack Committee meeting night and share Pinewood Derby (because of equipment and setup challenges).  But we will need leaders for a girl Pack.   The Pack meetings could be on the same night but in different rooms in the same building.  It will be interesting to see what the other committee members and CO think about it. 

I really don't think it's going to be that bad, to be honest.   But it may depend on the area of the country you live in.   I just heard about a library in Alaska that is having a drag queen storytime, led by drag queens and where children are encouraged to dress up as the opposite gender.  

In comparison, bringing in girl units to the BSA is very, very modest and mild. 

Do you think they will be willing to sponsor an all girls Troop too?    Or a Venturing crew?    Or a girl cub unit?   

What you really really need are parents of girls who are willing to volunteer and get trained.  That's your core.  

1 hour ago, NJCubScouter said:

I don't like to make predictions, but I have difficulty seeing how there are going to be very many all-girl packs.  While National is making it an option, it seems to me that they are really pushing the other option, mixed packs with all-girl dens.  The whole "early adopter" thing seems to have been built around all-girl dens in existing packs, not creating new packs that would be girl-only.  My guess is that that is going to carry over into the "regular adopter" process, and that of the packs that end up having female Cub Scouts, the large majority are going to be pre-existing packs that have added girl dens, rather than new all-girl packs.  Then when it comes time for those girls to cross over, it seems likely to me that most of the parents, leaders and girls are going to want to go for the "linked troop" concept - which is more likely than the freestanding all-girl troop to end up looking like one troop with single-gender patrols.

Yes, but.... as volunteers we have influence over this, and we can say -- let's have an all girls troop -- and encourage that path rather than single gender patrols in a mixed troop path.  Sell it -- girls will flourish with other girls.   Plus, BSA wants girls Troops, not single gender mixed troop troops, so let's help them get there.  The best defense is a good offense??  Or the best offense is a good defense??   Eh, you know what I mean.  The parents are going to go to wherever the girls are welcomed.  So let's make some all girl Troops that have good foundations to build on.  Districts should get on this. 

14 minutes ago, jamskinner said:

You can act however you want.  So can I.

  We actually agree on the inevitability of scouts going coed.  I just don't think it is a good idea and will continue to say so.

I don't think Scouts will go fully co-ed, if as volunteers we can get girl Troops and Packs off to a strong start.  Now, I can't speak for rogue troops and packs that don't follow BSA policy, you'll always get some of that, but if Scouters work to help girls make great girl Packs and Troops, then each gender can have their own strong program.   There will likely be some interaction at merit badge fairs and such, but staunch single gender folks just won't go to those events.  

Here's what I"m thinking -- we need to make strong girl Packs and Troops and help them get off the ground, so they can maintain their separation and independence from the Boy Packs and Troops.  Does that make sense?  

Yes, contact the Chartered Organization with your concerns and ask them for support.   Your Committee Chair, if she is lying about her husband's criminal record, should be removed from that position, IMO.  The Chartered Organization should also be able to ask the husband not to come on outings.  Lastly, you should talk to your council Scout Executive and ask them for how you should handle this, to make sure the Scouts in that pack are protected.  You also have the option of finding another pack.  Best wishes. 

This is a very old thread, but I will throw in a few things.   

At the beginning of the school year, there is a lot going on, and sometimes dens don't really get rolling right away in September.  Everyone is adjusting to back to school, etc.   Den leaders should have a plan and a calendar for the year, but the calendar also gets some input from the families in the dens.  I would always check with the families to see what nights they're available, and this took a little while to work out. 

With my dens, we tried to meet 2x a month plus a monthly pack meeting.  But sometimes it varied.  

59 minutes ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

We already have reports from early adopters that some "Girls' den" and the "Boys' den" ideas is not working and that the two dens are doing "joint" activities.

Yeah, but just because that's what some Packs are doing doesn't mean that's what our Pack has to do.