Torchwood

Your first mistake was not asking for earlier SMCs to deal with his discipline issues. A SMC is NOT only for advancement, and can be called at any time, by either party. Actually, your first mistake is not having properly trained PL and SPL to deal with some of this boy to boy to begin with. And who decided that he would make a good TG? That particular position is way too important to be given to a kid like that. AT this point, I would deny him sign-off on POR and Scout Spirit, and probably think about having a conversation with his parents about how you need their help to turn him around, and make sure that they know exactly what he has been up to, why you won't sign the book, and what he needs to do to remedy the situation.

If the unit program is run correctly, this is an unnecessary award. You want Scouts to show up because they get something of value from attending. Period.

So, as parents, we are not allowed to be happy? I spent several years sleeping on a pull-out couch in the basement (and in therapy- both couples counseling and individual sessions), before I finally decided that I couldn't do it any more. To my mind, if kids grow up in a home where the norm is two people who can't be in the same room for any length of time, how can they possibly grow up to have healthy relationships of their own? My parents divorced when I was 31, and my siblings and I were relieved that it had finally happened- after years of fighting, and my father moving out twice when I was in jr. high and high school. Was their unhappiness the root of me marrying the wrong person? I'm not sure. I am remarried, and have shared custody of my kids. They love my wife, and she loves them (she has no kids of her own, and is also divorced). She is very involved in Scouting and other activities with both my son and daughter, and our relationship gives me hope that they will be able to have normal, loving and supportive relationships because of the one that they see her and I in. As for entitlements, I remember some pretty smart men writing the words Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness way back when. So, yeah, I think we are entitled to that. It hasn't made me a less responsible parent, and I don't think I am necessarily the exception.

The ONLY parallel I see between divorce and gay marriage is that some religions seem to take issue with both. Okay, whatever makes you happy, but my faith doesn't seem to have an issue with either. The flip side to freedom of religion is freedom from religion. You can believe whatever you want, but I don't have to believe the same thing, and we should both be okay with that. Sounds like courteous and kind to me.

For real backwoods camping, I would rather have alcohol spill inside a backpack than white gas. Just my 2 cents....

I just did my IOLS weekend. It was so full by itself (not to mention cold and rainy), there is no way you could properly cover all of that material and the SM Specific in one weekend. I did the SM Specific over 3 Saturday mornings (in conjunction with our Council MB University), and it was still a lot to cover.

If they don't want to cover the material properly, they shouldn't offer it at all- go to another Council if you have to- doing it correctly is the only way to fly.

At the risk of repeating what has been said on this site over and over and over again: NO LEADER CAN ADD OR SUBTRACT OR OTHERWISE CHANGE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR ANY ADVANCEMENT!!! There is NOTHING in the rules that states that Activity Badges can only be earned at summer camp, and there is certainly NO REQUIREMENT that Aquanaut must be earned to earn the Arrow of Light. Ask the Den Leader, the Advancement Chair and/or the Cubmaster to show you where any of these rules are written. Better yet, hand them a copy of the Guide to Advancement and make them point it out.

Another reason we need a single payer system in this country.

Nope, Koolaidman is right. From Scouting.org: Boy Scouting, one of the traditional membership divisions of the BSA, is available to boys who have earned the Arrow of Light Award and are at least 10 years old or have completed the fifth grade and are at least 10, or who are 11, but not yet 18 years old. The program achieves the BSA's objectives of developing character, citizenship, and personal fitness.

Sorry. It's 10.5 with AOL. 11 without. It will mess-up the Council records when he goes for Eagle. He has to wait if he's 10 at Crossover.

yes, that was already mentioned... post has been edited.

 

He only has to be 10. Usually they are 10.5 or older, but they can be 10.

Sorry- my mistake...

So, there is some basic misunderstanding of the different programs, and how they should be managed. A Cub Scout Pack is run by the Den Leaders and Cubmaster. A Boy Scout Troop is led by the Senior Patrol Leader and the Patrol Leaders Council, with oversight by the Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster(s). You can't (and shouldn't) run a Webelos Den like a Boy Scout Patrol. The boys just don't have the maturity to make the same types of decisions on their own. Even when they crossover to Boy Scouts, they will be under the watchful eye of a Troop Guide for the first few months- an older Scout who functions as their Patrol Leader until they either elect one of their peers, or are spread out through the rest of the existing Patrols (this varies by Troop).

All that being said, the Guide to Advancement is very specific about the requirements for any badge not being altered, added to or subtracted from. Telling a boy that he has to earn those Activity Badges at summer camp is adding to the requirements. If the Webelos Den Leader insist he is in the right, ask him to show you where it is written. Also ask him where it is written that he should be letting th boys run their Den as if it was a Patrol. The Webelos program, as written, is age appropriate for the boys in that Den. Period.

As for the boy, I agree with some of the previous posters that he is being held back by parental care. I wish I had some sage advice that didn't seem mean at face value. He needs to be pushed out of his comfort zone, and fast. The span from 9 to 11 goes really fast. And while we are on that specific topic, you are aware that a boy has to be 10 and have his Arrow of Light to crossover to Boy Scouts, right? If he is the youngest in the Den, he may not actually be able to crossover with his Den. The only thing I can think of is to find ways to boost his confidence among his peers so that he wants to go and do things with them. Maybe the Den Leader could use his expertise with firestarting and have him teach the other boys in the Den? Is the Den (and Pack) doing family camping trips? How about having him and a buddy camp in their own tent right next to the parent tents? Look for ways to slowly get him being independent before it is too late.

Can someone tell me where a phone call is the same as a one on one meeting?

Do the contractors need to get prior approval from Council to be a MBC in order to sign off on the requirements?

Yes, they need to be registered as MBC, and take YPT.

On our camping trip this past weekend, one of the boys in my son's Patrol had a bloody nose, and asked for a tissue. I keep tampons in my first aid kit for that very purpose. Some of the boys gave him a bit of a ribbing until I explained why it was better than a tissue- it puts pressure on the bleed from inside, is much more absorbent and doesn't stick to the clot.

8 hours behind the wheel to and from, I'm afraid my typing hasn't recovered. Sorry for the spelling error.. Damned funny though.

Our Troop was camping this weekend, and my son was the cook for his Patrol- he did the 1st Class requirements. They had a cold lunch- sandwiches made at a picnic area at our first stop. Dinner was sloppy joes- made from scratch, not a can of Manwich. He diced onions and peepers, and had a packet of spices he measured out in advance. Breakfast was french toast, also from scratch (most of the other patrols do pancakes using the Bisquick mix in the plastic bottle- just add water,shake and pour on the griddle). He was good about enlisting help when needed to get things done in a timely fashion, made all the worse by unexpected rain overnight. My wife and I were the cooks for the Old Goat Patrol, so we were not standing over him while he worked, but were available if he got into a jam. I have a huge issue with kids cooking for advancement by making stuff from boxes. It is cooking, not re-heating.

Personally, I don't think there should be a test out for IOLS. At the very least, you get some time camping without the Scouts around (and see things from their point of view). At best, you learn a couple of things you either didn't know, or had forgotten along the way.

Personally, I don't think there should be a test out for IOLS. At the very least, you get some time camping without the Scouts around (and see things from their point of view). At best, you learn a couple of things you either didn't know, or had forgotten along the way.

on his hat

This is from the back of the Unit Money Earning Application, which must be filled out for anything other than popcorn sales:

6. If a commercial product is to be sold, will the

fund-raising activity comply with BSA policy on

wearing the uniform?

The official uniform is intended to be worn primarily

for use in connection with Scouting activities.

However, council executive boards may approve

use of the uniform for any fund-raising activity.

Typically, council popcorn sales or Scout show

ticket sales are approved uniform fund-raisers.

So, if it isn't popcorn or a Scout show (something atypical), you may or may not get Council approval to wear uniforms.

Not saying that we don't all do it just like you, but according to the instructor in my SM Basic course, that is the official word. If some kid came to my door selling anything for Scouting, and wasn't in uniform, I wouldn't buy from him.

If I were in your shoes, I would sign up as the Den Leader, and have your husband sign up as the assistant. As for your daughter, when I was Cubmaster, we encouraged sibling attendance at most events, especially as that makes it easier for families to attend in the first place. My daughter is 3 years younger than my son, who is just finishing up his first year as a Boy Scout. She went on several camping trips, which were always family events for our Pack. We always invited siblings to participate in activities at Pack meetings as well. Some Packs even have a sibling class in the Pinewood Derby. Bott9om line is that Cub Scouting is a family oriented program, but the particulars are generally left up to the individual Pack to decide. Given that you are interested in providing the Pack with a needed resource (Den Leaders can sometimes be very hard to find), they should be willing to take on your whole family.

Good on you! My wife and I are working with my son's Troop on the Cycling MB as well. As an aside, we both are very interested in becoming LCI's, but the number and location of the courses leaves a lot to be desired.

I was shocked by the same thing at my recent SM training. Only Council does fund raising- units do "money earning activities". There has to be a product or service exchanged for the money. And we were told that we can only wear Class A uniforms if we are selling popcorn, since it has been vetted by BSA. Seems like we are being coerced into selling popcorn (our Troop does not), or only being able to participate in FOS activities.

Our Troop website has a list of foods that are to be avoided for the very same issue. It also has brands of certain types of items that we know to be safe for use (labels say that they are nut free, etc.)