BetterWithCheddar

Welcome @niagarafalls! Scouting and Sports don't have to be a mutually exclusive (although I understand hockey to be a totally different animal). Unlike youth sports, it's OK to take a break from Scouting for a full season. If the BSA is going to survive, it needs to be OK being every kid's second favorite activity. Missing a Cub Scout Pack or Den meeting is inconsequential, IMHO. Provide the parents with the rank requirements that were missed and ask them to complete them at home on a best-efforts basis. It gets a little trickier in middle school and high school because a Scout may not advance as quickly as their peers, but if they are willing to communicate their availability with their SM/SPL and do extra work when their schedule permits, there's no reason why they still can't earn their Eagle Scout award before age 18 (even if they are only active 6 months per year). Something like ~70% of kids drop out of youth sports before high school. I bet a fair amount of them would have made fine Scouts. We juggle Scouts and youth basketball in our household and, at some point, I expect my son to go all-in on basketball because most pre-teen boys have a natural inclination to compete, dress like their friends, and impress girls. When that time comes, I don't mind paying for all of the camps and travel opportunities. My only conditions will be 1) he's got to be respectful to his coaches and peers, 2) he's got to let me know if it stops being fun, and 3) he's got to participate in Scouts or a second non-sport extracurricular when his schedule permits (to give himself options down the road).

That is the way. 🙂 Below are two hypothetical conversations between my wife and I: Conversation #1: BwC: I need to go to camp on Saturday for some adult leader training. Mrs. BwC: I don't think so. Conversation #2: BwC: I need to go to camp on Saturday for some adult leader training, but they have some outdoor activities planned for the boy. Mrs. BwC: OK, when should I expect you home?

It would be nice if the district or council set up a parallel activity for scouts while their parent is being trained. Any onsite training, round table, etc. is a tough sell to my wife. Most parents either need to be working, taking care of the house, or spending time with their kids. The only reason I'm talking about Scouts online with internet friends right now is because everyone in my household is still sleeping.

When a person accumulates that much influence, they can probably earn that much through a combination of teaching, consulting, and board service without ever accepting much responsibility again. I give him credit for pursuing a meaningful second act.

I have a good relationship with my DE. If I text him, he will respond within an hour without fail. Even though he works evenings and weekends for what I'm sure amounts to less than $15/hour, he always makes volunteers feel acknowledged and appreciated. If we see him at a district or council event, he greets my son and I by name.

@JesseMills: I think you've correctly surmised that OA isn't the right activity for you; however, if you have skills that may be useful to an OA Lodge, you don't necessarily need to be an OA member to help out (provided your registration is current). Not every adult who cooks a meal or runs a chain saw at an OA event is a member. Maybe start by accepting an invite from the lodge to observe an event or help out at a work day?

It's OK to raise an eyebrow at the situation, but I 100% agree with Fred here - start with the why, first.

Try emailing a volunteer or two from your home district. There are probably a few contacts posted on your home council's website. They might not have official stats, but will probably be able to provide their own word-of-mouth account of what happened to a troop in their district.

With due respect, are that many people going to be upset with the removal of the Bobcat Badge as a rank? I've always thought of it as a bit of an "odd duck" among Cub Scout awards. The diamond of "Lion, Tiger, Wolf, and Bear" is going to look sharp and show an intuitive progression through the program.

I assume Cub Scouts won't repeat the same requirements every year; rather. they'll build-out their understanding gradually in age-appropriate increments. True, but I think a lot of Cub Scouts appreciate the instant recognition that the belt loops provide.

This is the first time I've seen the Badges of Rank requirements lined up side-by-side since I returned to Scouting as a parent volunteer. Obviously, there have been a few changes since I was a Cub Scout and this view is really helpful. I assume Cubs would wear the Lion, Tiger, Wolf, and Bear rank badges in a diamond? I think that will look a lot sharper than having the Lion strip dangling below the other badges.

Thanks for the follow-up. Were it not for my involvement as a youth, I think my wife would be more apprehensive about our son joining Cub Scouts ~ the constant barrage of Abused in Scouting commercials greatly impacted her perception of the BSA. Cub Scouts has been a source of joy for my 1st Grader, but my wife remains skeptical. She often cites the "weird vibes" she picks up from a small number of people, although most families we've met through Scouting have been great.

Thanks for the input. Another challenge I grapple with is getting Scouts outside. Once the school year starts, it gets dark and cold (at least in the Upper Midwest). We could schedule a few one-off outdoor Den meetings on Saturdays, but I worry that would complicate family scheduling. Right now, our Pack has a leader call on the 1st Tuesday of the month, a Pack meeting on the 2nd Tuesday, and Den meetings on the 3rd Tuesday (so Tuesday = "Scout Night"). My multi-year plan as a Den Leader is to "ramp up" with more meetings / outdoor activities as the kids get closer to Scouts, BSA, but right now, I'm just trying to make our monthly Den meeting at the library as enjoyable as possible while checking the boxes on some Tiger requirements.

As a youth in my home council, each camp staff also had a Venturing Crew. This may have been an attempt by the council to juice up its unit count in the early days of Venturing, but it also allowed staff members to register with the BSA when they were no longer affiliated with local units. This mainly covered college students who became estranged from their Troops, but a few junior staffers from weaker troopers opted to shed their Troop-level registration in favor of the camp-chartered Crew. A small number even completed their Eagle work through the Crew. Is this still a thing?

The easiest way to ensure a child's activities are safe is to volunteer. You don't have to be a registered leader to show up and help ensure kids are having good, clean fun. My son's other big activity is basketball and I have no desire to be a coach; however, I don't mind being a "coach's helper," parking lot attendant, usher, etc. This isn't a big time commitment. I was already planning on being there and reading a book in the corner. If you need me to put out some cones, I'll gladly put out some cones.

I agree with @InquisitiveScouter. If your son enjoys the comradery of scouts his own age, is there a Crew or Ship nearby?

May I ask: What does your husband need to see in order to be convinced that Scouting is safe for your child? Is there another pamphlet, training video, or 60 Minutes interview that's going to put him over the edge?

I work for a large financial services company. They spend millions of dollars on cybersecurity each year. Recently, my employer opened a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility dedicated to cyber defense. One executive suggested we drum up some good press by inviting the media to tour our new facility. He was vetoed by the CEO. The financial services industry doesn't want to advertise how much they spend on cyber defense because, after a certain point, it causes customers to question the safety of their funds. I think the BSA is getting diminishing returns on their youth protection efforts. I applaud them for taking YP seriously, but if they have to remind people at every turn that Scouting is safe, it's going to raise some eyebrows. They need to strike a better balance, IMHO. Since the BSA will never satisfy its harshest critics, maybe resources are better spent on the families that actually want to be part of the program?

Our Pack meets at a local elementary school. If you asked my son what's his favorite part of every Pack meeting, he'd probably say playing freeze tag before the meeting starts. Containing 40 Cubs is a challenge. We're considering appointing two parents as hall monitors for every Pack meeting. In the OP's case, I wonder if stationing a pair of supervisors just outside the meeting area would help curtail rowdy behavior? They could also approach it from the standpoint of incentivizing good conduct - maybe each week the best-behaved patrol earns a pin for their patrol flag?

Agreed it would be impractical for most units. I was actually thinking along the lines of the Council operating a "mini-camp" closer to one of its population centers. Barring some type of enrollment boom, it would almost certainly require a major donation or the closing of a "full-size" council camp, but consider the possibilities: Available for Unit Meetings (Monday - Thursday) Available for Unit Outings and District Events (Weekends) Summer Day Camps / Merit Badge Clinics for Scouts, BSA Cub Scout Day Camps Driving an hour or more (both ways) to a Scouting even is a significant barrier to retention. That eats up your whole day. Driving 20 minutes? That's more like an errand ~ Maybe Mom hits up Starbucks on the way there and Target on the way home? I know this suggestion is a bit out there, but for some councils, a well-located "mini-camp" could better serve its members than a traditional, full-size, remote council camp.

I'm envious of this facility - and that's strictly for one unit? Wow. I live in the suburbs of a mid-size city. Scouting is still pretty strong in the metro area (not what it used to be, but hanging in there). Unfortunately, our closest council camp is about a 90-minute drive for most families. That doesn't work so well for your average over-scheduled young family. I'd love to see the Scouts operate a small camp within a 20-minute drive of the population center - it wouldn't have to be a big production. Just one nice building like the one pictured above, a few campsites, and some trails. It could be a haven for weekend activities and maybe get some use on weeknights too.

I recently bought some used pins online featuring Garfield (the orange tabby cat) wearing a Cub Scout uniform. My plan is to use them for awards at Pack meetings when we have Den competitions ~ the winning Den can add a pin to their flag. Searching eBay for scout pins sparked a bit of nostalgia for me, since I remember Garfield from the comic strip and his Saturday morning cartoon show on CBS. Best I can tell, the BSA has used Garfield-branched merch on at least 3 separate occasions: 1978: They produced a set of pins with Garfield (this was also the first year the comic strip went into syndication) 1989: The BSA releases another set of Garfield pins for the 1989 National Jamboree 1999: Garfield is featured in a variety of promotional materials, including pins, pens, and stuffed animals Does anyone know of other instances where Garfield has been used to promote the BSA? What about other cartoons or co-branded merch?

Based on what you described, I think a 6-month suspension from Scouting is in order. Set terms for re-joining the Troop, such as staying out of trouble for the duration of the suspension. Clearly communicate that further incidents will result in dismissal from the Troop. Yes, some kids need Scouting. And yes, some bad apples can poison a Pack or Troop. Find a balance and draw a line.

Well, my den meeting bombed. I should have come here sooner for feedback. I appreciate the replies. For context, this was a Tiger Den with 5 of 6 Scouts returning from Lions and one new Scout who joined in 1st Grade. We were able to cover the Cub Scout sign, salute, and motto quickly. I had the kids repeat the Scout Oath twice, but did not require them to memorize it. Then I had a breakout session for Scouts and their parents. I wrote each point of the Scout Law on an index card, placed them in a popcorn tin, and had the Scouts choose 2 index cards from the jar to discuss briefly with their parents. Then we reconvened and had them share what they learned. My biggest challenge was getting them to sit still and pay attention. They were a squirrely bunch. My own son was probably the worst offender. He and I attended an outdoor District event together last weekend and he was as well-behaved as any Scout there. But put him in a small room on a weeknight with a few of his peers - all bets are off. I need to think of some different approaches for promoting good conduct before the next Den meeting. For the fun part of our 45-minute meeting, I arrived early and used painters' tape to make a giant "Sorry" boardgame. I bought a large foam dice and let the Scouts play the game as if they were the markers. (moving from one end of the board to the other). Unfortunately, they had a hard time staying still on the spaces they landed, which lead to confusion. There were also some hurt feelin gs over being "sorried" and sent back to the beginning. So I went 0 for 2 on the night. 😟 I love the Bobcat Trail suggestion. If the kids had to burn a little energy walking from station to station, I think it would cut down on the squirrely-ness. I did find a nice PDF of the Bobcat Badge requirements, which I sent home with the parents and asked them to cover the YP portion at home.

I find marking up popcorn by 300% to be immoral. I'd prefer to teach my son salesmanship with a box of $2 candy bars.