clemlaw

I wrote the following response prior to realizing that this was an old thread. So feel free to ignore any instances of beating a dead horse. For those who think "contracts" are a good idea, then this implies the possibility that a Scout will say the following: "Mr. Scoutmaster, I have drafted this contract that outlines my expectations from the adult leadership. I will assume my duties as soon as you and the committee chair sign. Here's a pen." In troops with "contracts", is that what happens 50% of the time? If not, then I submit that these aren't really "contracts".

Under the general heading of "Be Prepared", it's always nice to know that there are multiple methods of accomplishing the same task. This is more important than mastering one method, even if that method happens to be the best. That's probably the most important thing I learned from Scouting. I've applied it many times to things totally unrelated to anything I learned as a Scout. Increasingly, I've noticed that people tend to become fixated on doing things one particular way. When, for whatever reason, they're not able to do it that way, they don't stop to think whether they can accomp

>>>We are speaking of small knot devices, small pins which are worn on the knot to indicate earning more then one award represented by the knot in different programs.

What exactly is a "device"? Am I supposed to have a "device" to indicate that I earned my religious award as a Boy Scout? (Incidentally, that was the only way to do so, since, as far as I know, there was no such thing as a religious award for Cub Scouts back then.) I'm not going to run out and buy a "device", but I'm curious to know what it is. If I'm not going to get one, I really ought to know what it is that I'm not getting. And how much does the "device" cost? A Scout is Cheap....I mean Thrifty, so I balked a little bit at paying $1.49 for my Arrow of Light knot.

Yes, I'm not sure I understand why the mere possession of a cel phone is a "safety" or "youth protection" issue. Like many things, such as knives, axes, saws, matches, etc., they can be used in an unsafe manner. But it seems to me that banning the unsafe or inappropriate use is better than an outright ban. If the scouts are spending all of their time yakking on the phone, then I suppose you could tell them to leave them at home. But it's not a "safety" issue. On almost every recommended packing list I've ever seen for Scout camps and activities, both as a youth and as an adult, a

I put my 1973 Jamboree patch on my Tiger Den Leader uniform. Someone here on the internet said it was OK, which was good enough for me. I probably won't keep it there permanently, but I want to give people a chance to see it. It's served as a conversation starter on a couple of occasions. It also gives other people fair warning that I might be senile. Personally, I'd find it a little bit pretentious to wear any medals on my uniform, whether or not it's proper, and this would be especially true of anything earned as a youth. The only exception I would be comfortable with persona

>>>>>I always pack a few cans of cheap beef stew or some rather nasty freeze dried stuff in the truck. It ain't gourmet, but it fills.

I can only speak from my own personal experience. But as far as I know, I had the best Patrol Leader in the history of the BSA. I really don't remember if he was elected by the Patrol, or appointed. Even if he was elected, the Scoutmaster was very sneaky and ensured his election. When I joined, I was in 5th grade. The patrol had about 4 or 5 members who were in 6th grade, and one member who was in 7th grade. I joined an existing patrol, but I think the 6th graders had only been around a couple of months. The 7th grader was probably First Class or Star, and he had excellent scout

>>>>>as to teaching them a stroke to keep their head out of the water - this will not work!

Frankly, I found it too painful to read all the way to the end. I suspect you're probably right, and they're probably wrong. But at this point, I don't think it really matters. Your son needs to find a different troop. If it's the same CO, and they expect the Pack to be "feeding" the Troop, then it's probably time to find a different pack.

>>>>>They're selling DIRT and you guys wonder if it's a rip off?

Now, granted, since I'm not a criminal, I might not always think like a criminal. But if I were going to run a scam involving bottles of dirt, rather than just taking the money and running, there's really not a lot of downside to taking the money and sending the customer their bottle of dirt. We even have a brand of beer called "Summit", so I could get the bottles cheap.(This message has been edited by clemlaw)

If, at any point, a Scout says, or even thinks to himself, "my arm is a pretend cannon, and this sock is a pretend cannon ball", then the arm becomes a simulated firearm pointed at a human participant, and everyone needs to go home immediately. (Yes, that was a joke.) I noticed that in our Council, one of the prizes for selling enough tons of popcorn (which our Pack thankfully doesn't do) is a marshmallow gun. As the late Billy Martin would say, you could put an eye out with that.(This message has been edited by clemlaw)

I'm so old that when I was a kid, we didn't have rocks and sticks to play with. We had to play with toys, but we had fun! Kids these days have everything.

Maybe they should bring back a marketing slogan I recall from a 1970's era BSA catalog: "It's tops if it's official!" Just the same, though, I probably won't be asking Santa for one.

Oh, I get it. In our case, it will be one price, no matter how many kids, but we're on our own for food. But yes, the day camps we've been to sometimes get a little bit pricey when we bring the whole family. I do have a correction to my post above. It turns out there is a dining hall, and it looks like we can eat there if we want to. It's only four miles away, so maybe we'll hike over there for lunch. I don't think there's an open field, though.

I'm also counting the days until Clemlaw, Jr., goes to Scout camp for the first time. I have this nagging suspicion that I'll get my arm twisted into being an ASM. But if not, what a peaceful week that will be. If I do get my arm twisted into going along, then it will definitely be a peaceful week for Mrs. Clemlaw, and I doubt if she will want to tag along. As I mentioned above, I'm naturally grumpy, so she'll be free of both of us for a week.

Thanks for the firsthand information. Was it Many Point where you went? We now live in what used to be Indianhead Council, but I grew up in Minneapolis, so my experience with a youth was with Many Point. Uh, oh, now I have that song stuck in my head again...."Many Point Scout Camp, that's the place to be....."

Well, they definitely don't have a dining hall, and I'm pretty sure they do not have an "open field" anywhere nearby. The program consists mostly of having the beach staffed for the majority of each day. But we'll be sleeping in a--gasp--tent trailer, and we might even turn on the electric lights while we get ready for bed! And some of our cooking will be over a--gasp--gas stove! (But it's my understanding that Scouts do most of their cooking that way these days.) And I hear they have one of those newfangled "flush toilets", a shower, and a machine you can put your dirty clothes in an

I'm not sure I understand the problem. He's already had the requirements signed off. If you don't believe that he has fully met those requirements, there is nothing stopping you from giving him whatever additional training you think is appropriate. After you do so, you're not allowed to sign off those requirements. But you don't have to, because they're already signed off. If you wish, you can go over these requirements prior to the Pack meeting where he gets the award. That way, it is earned to your satisfaction, it's signed off to the Council and Pack's satisfaction, and y

Actually, it seems to me that they should be able to _almost_ complete the requirement without getting their face wet, if they can swim 75 yards using the side stroke or breast stroke. Once they have learned how to swim 75 yards, I suspect most of the fear will be gone, and they will then be able to do the "jump into water over your head" requirement without difficulty (which will probably entail getting their face wet). Unless these kids have some documented medical issue (which seems very unlikely, since there are two that just happen to be in the same troop), then it seems to me t

>>>>we will loose the boys to boredom. But, I've also lost potential Scouts because they couldn't stand the bugs, "non-mom" meals, etc.

The words "family camp" mean a few different things in the BSA, so I should clarify which one I'm talking about. Our council's summer camp has a "family camp" which is intended primarily for families of Scouts and Scouters whose troops are camping there that week. They have programs which appear to be geared for kids 10 and under, the younger siblings of the Scouts. They have both cabins and RV/tent sites. This happens to be the camp where my troop went most summers when I was a Scout. If the spots aren't taken by a certain date, they are then opened up to families of any regist

>>>>>Boy would that cause a lot of controversy.

I also wouldn't worry about the time required to finish Eagle. Whether he has five years or six, he can still do it at a very leisurely pace. Many Eagles (myself included) earn their Eagle when they are 17 years old. But this is not because it takes that long--it's because there's a natural tendency to use all of the available time. I was about 17 1/2 when I finished Eagle. If the cutoff had been 19 years old instead of 18, I have no doubt that I would have earned it when I was 18 1/2. If anything, starting later might keep him (and you) a little bit more focused on getting t