Chadamus

@@qwazse - a proposed 13th point of the Scout Law: Positive

Merry Christmas, Stosh! ☺

Piggy-backing off David CO's comment: email addresses can be sent straight to spam. Phone numbers can be blocked.

Ranman328, don't let someone else's bad day become your bad day.

30 Scouts

1 SM

7 ASMs

10 CMs

Welcome to the forum WonderBoy! I lurked for quite a while as well. There's lot's of great information here. Much of it is true! 

A oft-used adult "patrol patch:"

http://www.patchtown.com/images/view.aspx?productId=1741

It's important to distinguish the difference between the reaction a second grade Cub Scout receives from wearing a uniform to school and the reaction a junior in high-school receives. Like Stosh, I wore mine to school for meeting days. But, also like Stosh (correct me if i'm misremembering Stosh) I was a Cub, not a Boy Scout while doing so. At that age it's more along the lines of "Ooh look what he's wearing!' vs "Why are you wearing that?"

My son's troop meets on Sunday evening, so it's irrelevant for them.

To answer the question tho @@krypton_son, no, it is not a 'thing' everywhere. Not in my son's troop, nor in the one I was in.

Not only can your son, you can as well! Need that BALOO, CPR, etc training and can get it elsewhere at a time that fits your schedule? Do it!

Adults were broken into patrols. Different leaders for almost each topic with a few exceptions (for example the same instructor did camping and backpacking). Orienteering and Cooking were performed separately by patrol. Most everything else was by group.

If I was running ItOLS the prerequisite would be to read the Scoutmaster's Handbook. Far too much time can be spent answering questions that any Scouter with some initiative can have answered on their own beforehand.

I can tell you who needs summer camps: mom and dad.

The summer after my son joined his Troop, he went out of council to Camp Rainey Mountain in NE Georgia. Two hours away. For a week. It was the first time in 10 years he was away from my wife and I for that length of time. He was hesitant, wife was terrified, but in the end it was a win-win. He benefited from the empowerment. We learned to let go.

There are multiple ways for parents to go through the inevitable initial lengthy separation from their child, but IMO summer camp is a great option. The boy that comes back can be noticeably different from the one that left. (Ideally for the better!)

A couple nights ago my Mom reminded me how 30 years ago she inspected my Halloween candy upon my return home from a night of trick-or-treating. I went out with friends. No parents. If my folks worried, they didn't show it. Now my son trick-or-treats in the same neighborhood I did as a kid. I'd like to think I would let him do as I did at the same age, but I'm not certain. He'd rather I be there with him so we go as a family.

I wonder: if parents compared themselves to their kids at the same age, which would impress them more? Maybe not a fair question for those of us with Scout sons. (Mine is better Prepared, hands down) Perhaps we as parents need to turn off the TV/radio/monitor/etc and realize our kids can handle it. While the media's been evolving, our kids have too.

I set all signatures to 'ignore' after reading them once (not a fan of them in general) but Stosh I like the philosophy behind yours. Spot on about cats and dogs, but I'll vote dogs. Scout Law? Dog? Check. Cat? Yeah, right.

Let's re-rail this thread.

Women can't <backpack/hike/camp/whatever> with the troop.

I'm assuming Mike Rowe has something to do with Scouting. Someone please tell me if I should stop assuming.

@@eghiglie There's as many "Really??" knots on eBay as there are real ones. Some knots have been discontinued and some aren't as common. I still see some that are new to me from time to time. What did the knot you saw look like?

This might make it difficult for our scouts to do the shopping at a local grocery store.  I guess maybe the local CVS would work, but the price and healthfulness of the menu might suffer.

Difficult to sell popcorn as well for those troops out there that set up outside local grocery stores like we do.

Our CVS sells alcohol, so that wouldn't be an option either!

@@CalicoPenn I'm with you 100%. More anomalies are out here. ☺

Are the activities for First Class cumulative? My specific question is does the campout for Tenderfoot count towards the 5 for Second Class and do the 5 for Second Class count towards the 10 for First Class?

jg, welcome to the forum!

Yes, the activities are cumulative whether not not they are an overnight campout.

However, a certain number of activties must be overnight campouts.

For Tenderfoot, campout one overnight.

For 2nd class, campout two more times to meet the requirement of three (count the one from Tenderfoot).

For 1st class, campout three more times to meet the requirement of six (count the one from Tenderfoot and the two from 2nd class).

I say campout as much as you can! 

I'll speak for the boys on the other side of the fence. The first two merit badges my son chose to complete were Space Exploration and Digital Technology. Some Scouts can't get enough no matter the setting.

That's because the "talent" we have today in the art world can't compete with the true masters. 

 

...says the gentleman 'borrowing' the Rockwell artwork. 

(Whom I like!)

We have more artists working in more mediums covering more subjects today than we did at any time in the past. Due to population growth, that will only continue. A dismissal all of those creative people who came and will come after the 'masters' as inferior is unfortunate.

Skip, thanks for sharing! My son and I enjoyed watching

ps: your link worked just fine on my phone

Lot of assumptions in this thread.

Having a sister in Girl Scouts taught me at a very young age what the Gold Award was.

As a child I assumed  everyone older than I knew as well.

Less assuming all around, please.

Taken from a Central Georgia Council email:

The Central Georgia Council, Boy Scouts of America with great regret would like to inform you that we lost one of our wonderful volunteers, Mr. Ronald Wagner.  We send our condolences and express our deepest sympathy to his wife Penny, son Nicholas, daughter Elizabeth, his grandchildren and all of the Wagner family.

Ron’s Obituary— May 10, 1944 - August 23, 2016

Warner Robins, GA- Ronald Wagner, 72, went home to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, on Tuesday, August 23, 2016. Visitation will be Saturday, August 27, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at Burpee-Scott Memorial Chapel with funeral services beginning at 12:00 p.m. Interment will follow in Magnolia Park Mausoleum. 

Ronald was born to the late Nicholas and Betty Jean Wilson Wagner on May 10, 1944 in Denver, CO. He was also preceded in death by his brothers Donald and John Wagner. Ronald proudly served his country by serving in the United States Navy and working in civil service at Robins Air Force Base, where he retired as a Division Chief. He graduated from Georgia College with a Masters degree in Business Administration. He was a long time member of Second Baptist Church, where he served in Awanas as a cubby leader. His lifetime passion was Scouting. He served as Scoutmaster from 1985 until 2010, during which time 71 boys obtained their Eagle Scout Award. 

His memory will forever be treasured by his loving wife Penny Comeaux Wagner; son, Nicholas Wagner of Warner Robins; daughter, Elizabeth Miller (Brian) of Lebanon, Tennessee; 5 grandchildren: Annaleece Schaffer, Landon Schaffer, Izabella Miller, Summer Wagner and Bryan Dickson; 1 great-granddaughter: Trinity Schaffer; brother, Thomas Wagner (Linda) of Thomasville, Georgia and several nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully suggests memorial donations to Troup 550, attention Anthony Dunn, Christ United Methodist Church, 511 Russell Parkway, Warner Robins, Georgia 31088 or Second Baptist Church Building fund, 2504 Moody Rd. Warner Robins, GA 31088. Please visit www.burpeescottmemorialchapel.com to share online condolences with the family. With honor, Burpee-Scott Memorial Chapel & Crematory, Houston County is entrusted with arrangements.

Disappointing.

Hi August! Welcome to the forum!

Hi nikkies. Welcome to the forum and good luck with your upcoming new position!