WisconsinMomma

Do you support females in Scouting, and do you support female Scout leaders? In the end it doesn't matter all that much, because the BSA does. Just try not to contradict them too much in your interactions with the youth, especially because the youth members may have their own viewpoints that differ from yours.

Oh, I thought you were still running with gblotter's idea that the 1970's changes ruined everything. Yes, learning the BSA ways is difficult, but people seem to muddle through and there are ample training materials. We can start another helicopter parents thread, though!

For the record, I didn't say you should leave Scouting, but I think you should hold back from sharing strong anti-female or anti-coed views with your troop. As it stands, girl patrols or troops will be separate. Thanks for everything you've given to Scouting. I have 5 years in and my family is committed for at least the next 10.

I was born in 1970, and I'm on the older side of parents in Scouting. The culture is today's culture, not 1970's culture.

I am not sure of your role in Scouting, but if you have extremely anti-co-ed feelings you may want to step back from spreading those opinions among the youth. If the boys are doing their own camp selection and annual planning, maybe they will make different choices, and whatever they choose should be supported.

1) Your guess is as good as mine. 2) Most parents today were not in BSA leadership in the 1970s and do not relate to that period of Scouting. Only a few remember whatever it was that happened.

@Col. Flagg, first you are assuming the number of girls that will be joining the program, and second, you are assuming there will be no new volunteers stepping forward to help. Both points could be off.

If your troop has ever traveled to Disney world or similar attractions, I'd like to hear all about it, and how the boys liked it and managed the planning and fundraising. Thanks!

Oh, there's always something to complain about, that's not new. As for girls and troop size, it can go both ways -- oh, we're so small, we can't take girls! and oh, we're so big, we can't take girls! Whichever variation applies, I'm sure it will be used.

Regarding camp, I wonder if a solution might be for camps to have all-girls' weeks set aside for female troops or patrols. So perhaps 5 weeks of summer are for males and one week is for females. Might be an option -- I saw a camp that had one week set aside for LDS scouts only. It will be interesting to see how camps plan and organize. Of course there may also be opportunities for strategic campsite placement, etc. As for supplies, I'll share a story from our youth hockey team. One player's dad's truck was stolen with all the kids' hockey gear in it. The team and hockey club rallied to help and when we gathered an extra half hour early to help the kid, we had multiple pairs of skates, pads, sticks.. everything. The stuff just showed up and was gladly volunteered when there was an urgent need to help a kid out. I'd like to think that there are plenty of people who would help scouts in need of gear.

I think most camps have already had female adults and staff attend, so they should not be entirely unprepared.

I have heard this out of one parent in our Troop, but I don't know if the reality will match. We'll have to wait and see. We have a small troop and most boys finish close to 18. A 16 year old says he wants to get it done, we will see how it goes. A year is a good amount of time to finish anyway.

In my son's troop, it's I hate bunnies. I don't know how that started. Other news -- my boys started their Swimming merit badge workshop and made it through the first swim. I'm getting a wetsuit and prescription goggles for my oldest. He has very little body fat and was freezing in the water. He is working on learning lashings for First class. I showed him where he is at with his merit badges and talked up the Hornaday awards with him, as he is a nature lover and has a lot of those merit badges done. My oldest and middle agreed to take an Archaeology merit badge class at the Burpee Museum in Rockford, IL, and my middle wants to do Astronomy, oldest wants to do Robotics, too. Oldest did a nice job on his first work as Scribe.

I've always wanted to try snowshoeing and this might be the year to do it!

I am hopeful that we will get some additional leaders on board if we get some girl dens going.

Talk to your den leader, this stuff is a balancing act. It sounds like her son is acting as Den Chief, which is a role for a Boy Scout to help with Cub Scouts, or he could be a tagalong. https://www.scouting.org/programs/cub-scouts/leaders/about/the-pack/csdcf/ I think you are right to help supervise and chip in if the boys are under-supervised. Cub Scouts are little wild creatures and not always easy to control. Also, adults have different tolerances for safety, but IMO the den leader should have been on the hike, and should have supported you when you asked the boys to stop. Here is an example of different tolerances for safety. Little patch of ice on the ground, a frozen puddle. 12 year old scout wants to "skate" on the ice. Scouter tells him to stop, but parent is OK with it. Scouter says that kid could fall and get a concussion and have brain damage so he is right. Very different perspectives on safety. I think that in Cubs, parents voices and concerns should always be heard. Perhaps you would volunteer to be Assistant Den Leader? You will have a voice on the Pack committee. Everybody makes mistakes, so do your best to work through it and support your son's Scouting journey. Best wishes!

Little guy seems to have gotten it right!

Good comments. The little sisters of almost all the boys I know in Cubs are in Girl Scouts already, and it puts the girl scout leaders in a difficult position to consider jumping ship. We will definitely need direction from our CO, they support the BSA and the GSUSA,and they may have specific thoughts on yes or no to girls, and that will make things clearer. Has anyone run this by their CO or COR already and what was that like?

Hey Scouters, I just want your practical advice, please, as there are many other threads to discuss the politics of adding girls to Packs. My Pack will need to plan -- how will we handle the 18-19 school year? This will come up at committee first, we have not touched it yet. Will we actively recruit girls or wait for girls and their famiiles to show up and request Scouting? Are there training materials on this? I might be behind. Thanks!

@5thGenTexan -- great job! Thank your for working with the boys.

Sorry, I used the down to show disagreement, and wasn't sure if I'd make my own post about skorts or not.

I will throw 2 cents in and say -- I think the skorts and socks are fabulous. Now, they may not be practical for camp wear, but they are modest, appropriate and good-looking for meeting wear, they give girls an opportunity NOT to look like the boys, and they make a great look for photographs. Yes, photographs, and we live in a Facebook - Instagram digital camera world where there will be many photos of girls in Cubs. Personally I was hoping for dusty purple shirts for the girls (LOL), but keeping the navy uniform and adding a skort is great, IMO. There's no harm, and sharp uniforms attract many children to Scouting. Thank you for sharing the CBS Sunday morning info, I will watch it.

I'm curious because I haven't much experience with council -- what does a high revenue event look like? Our events seem mostly reasonably priced.

Sorry, uniforming is above your pay grade. Don't stress over skorts. The scout shops will have what is proper, and your unit can push the official uniform as their standard.