BetterWithCheddar

Welcome, Austin. Congrats on earning your Eagle Scout award. I doubt many forum members have ever participated in such an interview, so it's difficult to say exactly what may be appropriate. Is it customary for candidates to wear Scouting uniforms to their interviews? As others have indicated, wearing your Eagle Scout rank badge is likely not the right option now that you're an adult. Even the medal might not send the right message unless your participation in the parade is somehow affiliated with Scouting. I've only worn my medal a handful of times as an adult and it's usually been pinne

I'm not suggesting defunding the World Crest. I just question its appropriateness on a Cub Scout uniform (again, I'm approaching this from the perspective of a cost-conscious parent who is new to Scouting). The purple emblem itself isn't so bad, but what's with the ring emblem around it? That is new since I was a youth. Does it have a purpose or is it purely ornamental? It may not look so bad on an adult uniform, but it takes up significant space on a blue uniform shirt.

I'm not sure why Cub Scouts needs to have a CSP and unit number on their shoulder. Unlike Boy Scouts, they rarely participate in activities outside of their council or unit. I'd favor dropping those and the World Crest emblem just to keep entry costs low and uniforming simple. Since COVID, much of my household's weekly spending flows through the Target app. It'd be great if the BSA could offer a set of basic items online through a major retailer. Want to boost membership? Appeal to mothers. In most households, they make the majority of the every-day purchases and they make them on their p

I spent about $65 yesterday to outfit my new Lion Scout and we just stuck to the basics: Uniform Shirt: $33 Lion Scout Kit: $13 Neckerchief: $13 Shoulder Loops: $5 Our Cubmaster advised us to skip the t-shirt if we thought our son would remain in Scouts. I'm not sure that's consistent with the BSA's brand guide, but I thought it was a good suggestion. Kids get excited about the uniform, and they can wear it multiple years. They'll only be Lions for about 6 months (depending on the crossover date). I'm a pretty enthusiastic parent with adequate resources and I c

I had an interesting first blush with Scouting this week (after returning as a dad): The Good Stuff: Last winter, I reached out to the Cub Scout Pack at my son's soon-to-be elementary school to inquire about meeting dates, times, etc. I knew COVID and the membership crisis had decimated Scouting in our area, and I wanted to make sure my son would be part of a stable Pack. I'm glad to do my part as a parent, but didn't want to get saddled with running the entire Pack. The initial contacts I made were helpful and the Pack seems stable with 30 kids and some returning leadership. We're fortun

I was presented with a set of pins when I earned my Eagle award in 2003. I think they may have come with my medal. I don't recall seeing many parent or mentor pins on display before then. If @mrjohns2hadn't seen them by 1996, I'm guessing they were first issued around 2000 - does anyone know for sure? I lean toward being more of a uniform minimalist, but I would probably wear an Eagle Dad pin someday if my son continues with Scouts. Pins look nice on the pocket flap of a Jac-shirt, but have diminishing returns on an actual uniform shirt.

I'm returning to Scouting after many years to participate with my Cub-age son. In multiple threads, I've observed some angst over the Eagle mentor pins. They were around in my youth, but I don't recall seeing them clutter many uniforms. Is this a recent development?

Wow, this thread nearly goes back to my youth. The Jac-shirts were fairly common in my neck of the woods. Even during summer camp, temperatures could still drop into the 40s during the early morning. The Jac-shirts (w/ OA back patch) were akin to a letterman's jacket for older scouts. A few individuals wore insignia from the high adventure bases they had visited. The only taboos I noticed were when folks attempted to display multiple back patches on the back of their Jac-shirts. That wasn't a great look (too cluttered). If I wore my old Jac-shirt to a scouting event today, I'd probably ditch a

Oh boy, that's a tough one. Personally, I would not exhaust whatever little capital I have to enforce uniform standards unless someone's appearance is clearly inappropriate. It sounds like these individuals may have missed the mark for the event, but in their minds, it was probably just silly fun. Does their appearance impede your ability to offer a safe and enjoyable program for youth in your area? If the answer is "no," pick a different battle.

Thank you for the warm welcome and encouragement.

Hello! I enjoyed Scouting as a youth and am excited to see the program through my son's eyes this Fall when he begins Cub Scouts. While I've been away from Scouting, I've kept tabs on the program by occasionally visiting my council website and this forum. Thank you to all who have posted over the years. I've enjoyed the good-natured dialogue and some of the frankness that can't be found in official BSA outlets. I hope to contribute to the discussion. As a kid, I had the good fortune of belonging to a strong Troop in a strong District. This lead to an unbelievable number of progr