acco40

Keep your personal grief to yourself. This is a double edge sword. You don't want to give the impression that you have no grief or are incapable of experiencing grief. So, don't hide it. However, I've seen married folk lose a spouse and their grief is intense and they totally forget about their children. Yes, you've lost a husband but your children have lost a father and they need their mother at a time like this. Can be a difficult situation. My father died, quite suddenly when I was 27. Years later, after I was married with three kids, my mother passed away when I was 45. My second son had just turned 9. He told me something that was somewhat shocking and somewhat amusing. He asked me if I was now an orphan. I told him yes, I guess I am but more importantly, that he had nothing to worry about, his parents were going to be around for quite some time!

Conversely, don't get me started on how many times well meaning moms and committee members felt like they needed to attend PLC meetings to "help out" and then always tried to use as a trump card the "no closed meetings" so called "rule" in the BSA. Yes everyone should be play nice but their are reasons for these so called rules. As a Scoutmaster trying to pull some leadership out of the boys, it compounded the difficulty when a bunch of mom & dads, who really don't understand the BSA program would want to attend everything.

The only reason for an SA to attend a committee meeting is if the SM delegated that function to them.

It all boils down to the fact that the Scoutmaster is in charge of the advancement in their troop. The Scoutmaster providing (i.e. choosing) the MBC for Scouts is part of the quality control that he may choose to maintain. Not all registered MBCs are equal!

Typical responses can be: 1) Anger at God and/or others 2) Depression (nothing matters anymore) 3) Physical maladies - headaches, appetite loss, insomnia, fatigue (i.e. stress related maladies) 4) Wanting to be alone & feeling detached from other 5) Guilt (did I do something to make this happen?) 6) Revaluation or questioning ones faith and/or religion 7) Suicidal thoughts Keep in mind that all of the above is "normal" and I'd give the child plenty of space in the way of understanding and tolerance but monitor how grief is manifesting itself in the child.

Have quite a few post 9/11 flights under my belt - business, family, Scouts, etc. Worst treatment by security, by far, was Jambo 2005. What does a Scoutmaster tell a 13 year old scout who asks him innocently, "Mr. Scoutmaster, why do they think we would try to kill the president?"

To clarify, the Scoutmaster does not approve the merit badge counselor. The scoutmaster assigns the merit badge counselor.

I'm no biblical scholar but the concept of original sin always bothered me. Something about a newborn have sinned doesn't sit well with me. The "sin" issue also illustrates how folks rationalize their own religion. Murder my neighbor is equated with taking the Lord's name in vain? Reminds me of the "cafeteria" Scouters who ignore the BSA's "rules" because it is in the best interest of the boys.

Phones today can take pictures, access the world wide web, send text messages, receive email and even make phone calls! Many folks, youth and adults, don't practice good phone etiquette. I've seen "crackberry" users syndrome at work - folks who can't put down their phone during a meeting. And we wonder why ADD is rampant? In Scouts we can take the "easy" way out and ban the devices or put in a little bit more effort as leaders and teach the boys proper usage. The problem, there's a boat load of Scouters that set a real bad example and the boys have an excellent hypocrisy meter!

Legal in the eyes of whom? Did your pack, Tiger Den, or anyone file a unit money raising application with your local council? If not, it was not "legal" in the eyes of the BSA.

Arizona state flag or US flag?

For those who feel that a Scout should have access to their cell phone during a scouting event, do you feel the same way about your son's phone usage at school? If not, why not?

There is no hypocrisy. Adults have cell phones. And the youth cannot? So tell my why a teenager or in this case an 11 year old would feel that this was not hypocritical? I was a Scoutmaster from 2001 to 2009. In my first few years, I did not have a cellular phone but my SPL did! Did I want him texting or talking to friends all the time? No. What I was unsuccessful in implementing was banning BlackBerries and other smart phones from adults! (This message has been edited by acco40)

For a few years we had a "relaxing" August camping trip the boys liked. It was on a special area at a state park on Lake Huron (not available to the public). It was rustic but nice. We camped and swam. We invited Webelos dens to camp with us. The first thing I asked the Webelos parents was did they want to camp "side by side" - i.e. "cub scout rule" - with the troop or would they like to camp as part of the troop? If part of the troop, then "boy scout rules" would apply. They almost always stated the latter. Okay, so I would (or the SPL) introduce them to the concept of patrols, the buddy system and a quick safe swim defense overview. Well, a half mile walk away or so was the state park facilities (i.e. indoor plumbing) and while we didn't use it, some of the Cub Scout families did. I noticed one Cub Scout heading off away from the camp site and asked him where he was going. To the bathroom he stated. Where was your buddy I asked? I don't need one, my dad said it was okay. Well, I didn't want to start a family argument - I could see the dad glaring at me as he told me it was okay. A half hour later the Cub Scout returned to camp. Fast forward to the next day and I had the SPL assemble the boys before a quick walk (5 minutes) down to the lake. Well guess who was missing? The Cubs parents began to panic. I quietly assigned my two oldest Scouts to go down to the lake and check for bodies! I then asked the boys when was the last time this particular Scout was seen. After a few minutes, we sent out some other boys to look for him. Turns out, the boys found another troop and followed them to their camp site thinking it was our troop. We got him back about 30 minutes later. All were relieved but I had another discussion about the buddy system and why we used it. This time, I didn't get any grief from the parents!

Make sure that the back pack will be able to comfortably fit around the llama you plan on carrying the pack. For myself, I carry about 30 - 35 lbs in an internal frame back back - EMS brand. I you are tall - I'm not - they have a "long tail" that works well.

An atheist and a priest go out fishing one day on the lake. The are about a mile from shore and see some storm clouds off in the distance. However, the fishing is real good and both agree to continue casting and reeling them in for a few more minutes. They get caught up in the moment and are suprised to find the boat pitching violently in high winds as the storm has come over them. Suddenly, a large wave knocks the atheist into the water a few feet from the row boat. "HSave me!", he screams. The priest looks at him and asks, "Do you believe in the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost?" (this was a few years ago before ghosts became spirits). "Who cares", said the atheist, "Just save me!". Again, the priest asks for a second time, "Do you believe in the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost?" "Maybe, but please just save me!", states the atheist as he lunges toward the boat. The priest quickly rows the boat out of his reach as the atheist goes under. He quickly bobs back up and for the third time, "Do you believe in the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost?" "Yes, yes I do!", the atheist screams. "You're saved.", exclaims the priest as he rows back to shore.

In both Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, adults make rules that look like total hypocrisy to the youth. (I'd equate an 11 year old girl with similar maturity to a 13 year old boy.) Are adults allowed cell phones? When I was Scoutmaster for Jamboree, the council made a "no iPod rule." Why I asked? Because a Scout may just stay in camp listening to his iPod and getting out. The boys were encouraged to bring reading material. Couldn't they do the same thing with a book I asked? That's different was the explanation I got. Another issue is unfortunately we (i.e. society) are teaching our youth to disrespect adults by this nonsensical "stranger danger", "don't talk to adults you don't know" and other such garbage as if we've delegated the responsibility to protect our youth from ourselves (adults) to the youth themselves. This breeds disrespect toward all adults - strangers, teachers, Scout leaders, etc. When a parent encourages this behavior by making themselves the gatekeeper for what is and what is not allowed - it exacerbates the problem again. I had brothers in our troop that when I, as Scoutmaster, ever asked them to do anything the first thing they would do was glance over at dad and get his approval before they responded. They were respectful kids but I found that behavior troubling. Now, think of this in the young ladies eyes. You have a cell phone - a prized possession. Your mother, who happens to be a Scout leader too, gave you the stamp of approval. Then, capriciously, another adult took your phone! What behavior would you expect? My plan would be the following. 1) Don't have said "cell phone taker" & "proper shoe enforcer" leader interact with that Scout - too much baggage. 2) In a calm manner, have an adult leader the youth trusts explain the issues with language and the cell phone. Personally, I would not ban cell phones but I would teach the girls and others etiquette on usage. 3) In a not so calm manner, I would have a discussion with this youth's mother and explain the predicament that they place her daughter in when she gets conflicting instructions. 4) Don't make the issue a power play. You will either loose the battle or the war.

Funny thing but at my place of employment, how much money I need to maintain my lifestyle (or improve it) does not effect my pay. Similarly, the need for a POR should not effect who is elected to the position. For appointed position, the same should apply.

1) How did JASM get into the discussion of Eagle Scout = SPL? 2) The second best SPL that served in our troop during my time as Scoutmaster was a Tenderfoot. 3) I had a few Eagle Scouts that we "only" historians, librarians, ASPL, etc. Never held the position of PL or SPL. 4) The very best, by far, SPL that I had was an Eagle Scout that held the leadership positions of Den Chief, Patrol Leader, Troop Guide, NLYT Troop Guide, NYLT SPL, Jambo ASPL, etc. He was elected SPL at 12 when he was a 1st Class Scout. Now, as a 20 year old who just finished his junior year in college, I'm tryin to wean him away from Scouts (he will be a Summer Camp Director this summer) and into a "real" career in his field. I think the real question should be should a Scout be able to become an Eagle without serving, or at least attempting, to hold the office of SPL?

I jsut turned 55 and went to the doctor last week and he gave me a clean bill of health including a comment was that my weight was optimal! The only thing he recommended for better health was to grow a few inches.

When I was a Scoutmaster, one of the things I encouraged from all of the parents, especially those who were Cub Scout leaders was to take a break and not take on any Boy Scout positions until after their son was in the troop for a year. It was not a hard and fast rule but it helped to prevent burn-out and it also limited the kibbitzing of "how to run the troop better" from individuals who had no idea on the concepts of Boy Scouts. The worst were the "when I was a Boy Scout" types.

Yes, the expectations for Boy Scouts are higher - they should be. I think the national council screwed up when they lowered that age for Boy Scouts (for membership numbers) and Cub Scouts. Going on your first campout as a 12 year old having finished 6th grade is quite different than having a boy go at the end of 5th grade. Also, introducing 10 year olds to a troop that contains 15-17 year old boys is sure to drive the older boys away.

Yes, Cub Scouts is age/grade based. So one becomes a Webelos Scout when one is a fourth grader. The question is when does one become a fourth grader - immediately upon completion of the 3rd grade or immediately at the start of 4th grade or by some arbitrary date recognized by the BSA? I'm interested in what resource those use when stating "June 1st" as the cross-over date so to speak. As others have explained, one does not become a Webelos Scout by earning their Bear badge. Correct or not, I let the boys who had not earned their rank by the end of the school year to work on that during the summer, if they wished.

Glad you asked. That's my job - label place supreme and yes, you should care about my labels and ignore all others. My label for you - "ham"ster.

Was watching a little of X-Men or Fantastic 4 movies on television with my 19 year old son last weekend (it was raining outside). I asked him if anyone his age or younger read comic books any more and he said not really. Talking to some younger folk at work (late 20s) and they said that comic books now are more like PG-13 with sex, rape, murder, etc. and not really appropriate for 8 - 12 year olds like back in the dinosaur days of my youth. Is there credence to this?