CPAMom

We plan to do that exact thing at the end of February. If kids earn them early, is there anything short that can be done to recognize and honor quickly at a regular pack meeting?

Ok, y'all talked me into it. We plan to present the AOL award to our son (and any other scout who earns it and reports before next pack meeting) at the Sept. pack meeting. Is there a website or Webelos leader book reference that has something short to use for that purpose?

We hope to have a nice formal ceremony for everyone who earns it at the end of February or beginning of March.

Thanks.

Thanks for all your insights.

Some things I note: Not only does our son never miss a meeting, he gets scout tutoring when my husband preps for meetings. We homeschool, so we get things done that others seem to not do. Athlete, for example. It is mostly doing the exercises for 30 days. At home.

However, he has done the accomplishments. And I've seen him and 2 other boys really take initiative on their own this past year.

The other boys miss meetings for all sorts of reasons. Some parents work with them at home on badges; some don't. We can't get it all done ourselves at meetings. We try to keep the meetings from being "like school," so therefore, we stay away from making posters and writing essays and other things.

I'm guilty. He had earned Webelos badge before the January pack meeting, but we made him wait until Blue & Gold in February, which was our stated target date for the den. I promise to get him slated for getting it at the next pack meeting.

And some more reasons that make me hesitate -

He is not moving up to the troop local to our area. He's moving into a troop that is all homeschool boys. And he is not leaving any friends behind. Just acquaintances.

Will reporting AOL advancement to Council force him out of the pack? I mean does that action then require a transfer to a Boy Scout troop?

Other reasons that I hesitate - No one else has earned it. He's always ahead of the other Webelos. He's the Webelos leader's son. We have told him that he can move on to his selected troop in October, which will be a good time for him & us. That's really his biggest goal.

I appreciate the unanimous urging of your responses that he get this ASAP. He has worked hard. It is wrong to "dumb down" to fit in.

Well, an element of scouting that our pack does not have a lot of.

However, my son's favorite song from Webelos camp: I Wear my pink pajamas

Our son has completed his AOL requirements and will turn 11 in October. He is chomping at the bit to go into Boy Scouts. My husband & I are committed to pack leadership thru the end of February. We've found an excellent troop and are excited about the transition. We will go when we can, and we plan to have him transfer there when he turns 11.

Should we give him his AOL patch (which I know requires the advancement report) ASAP or wait until we are ready to transfer him to the troop?

Is there any reason to make him wait until the AOL ceremony at the end of February to receive it?

On Den Chiefs - Yes, my husband the Webelos II leader has asked 2 local Scoutmasters for a den chief during the spring semester. They both said they would like to send one. Neither has followed thru.

We've talked months ago with 2 local Scoutmasters about getting a den chief. Not one has been sent yet.

Every year we have a boat load of sign-ups on school night. Then after Christmas, it has dropped off to about 20 scouts. Some parents sign up on school night, never to be seen again, or only show up a time or two.

I wonder if part of the reason some leaves is because their den is too big.

We're covered up with new kids. Last count I heard was 40. I think this will put every den at over 10 kids. Any advice on how to get additional den leaders? How to split dens in 2?

I would say, "In your den" does not mean "in the pack." If they never came or only came 1 or 2 times after sign-ups, they were not "in your den."

IM_Kathy,

You give a fine example of how boys rise to the level of expectation. They are showing that scouting is important to them. Also, these kids would not want to be the only ones there not complying with the standard.

I'm considering the approach to take now.

I could email him and request that he take an email vote or a vote at the next Committee meeting which is before the first scout meeting of the new school year. Several people were silent in the room, so we don't know what they think.

I could also just shut up and move on. My husband, his new assistant, and myself are already wearing our uniforms. We can make our son do so. Just lead by example.

A little more info. -

My husband is currently leading Webelos II, last year Webelos I, year before Bears. He went to training for the first time last fall, came back a changed man - a real scout leader. Had really been in the dark before that. I have served as his assistant for 3 years (not officially), and I'm starting my 2nd year as treasurer. You could call last fall The Great Scout Awakening at our house where we learned about lots of scout things that we should be doing.

The current Cubmaster started that position last fall. He was all about the uniform for himself and accepted our conversion to wearing it. He does not want to request it from the boys because some parent may not be able to get their child home from day care or soccer practice to change before the meeting. (We have no known examples of scouts in this category.) Thinks it is an imposition on the parents.

CM is a firefighter. Says he hates wearing a uniform for his job, but is required to. Uniforms get hot. (Kids deal fine with hot, from what I've observed.) So, he is not behind it.

We had a discussion of the pros & cons of requiring it at Committee meeting. No vote was taken. So, by act of omission, we'll keep doing what we've been doing. To me, it felt like because there was noise about requiring it at den meetings, we won't do it.

Talked to a den leader today who plans on requiring it. That worries me. She plans on uniform inspection and reward those who do it. Yikes!

My husband won't require it. He has short-timers syndrome. Will have AOL done by February, not enough time to matter. The local troop that most kids will go into does not require it at their meetings.

I do agree that "Too much money" is a red herring. I've seen plenty of parents scrape together funds for whatever was worth it to them. I see lots of kids from financially challenged situations where they have not only the uniform, but all the optional items.

Requiring certain pants is way beyond the realm of reality in our pack. I really don't care about that. I think blue jeans look good enough, and everyone has them. To me, navy blue looks different on different items of clothing, so it can look worse than jeans.

And I do take credit for the change in leadership wearing the uniform shirt to all meetings. When I joined, we had a cubmaster who only wore it to Blue & Gold and Crossover. One leader wore it to all meetings. Some leaders did not own a tan shirt; last year's cubmaster was in that category. (Sorry that some of you are passed out on the floor now.)

We've been in a rather sloppy pack (in more ways than one), and the new leadership, which I am a part of, is trying to improve things. The Cubs have been wearing their uniforms to pack meetings and outings. I suggested a new pack policy that they wear them to den meetings. The Cubmaster & a couple other people do not want that change.

Their reasons:

1. Not what we've been doing.

2. Might turn someone away if they can't afford the shirt for their son. (The logical conclusion is to not use uniforming at all.)

3. It might be a burden on the parents who don't have time to go home before meetings.

4. The scouts won't like it.

I think we are missing out on a major element in scouting, and the boys aren't getting the sense of pride that the uniform gives.

What are the uniform rules & practices in your pack?

Very interesting! I've never seen other kids grab them. Guess our scouts aren't as rough as I thought.

I'd like for the scouts to know ahead of time if a collection would be taken up. I totally see the problem of a kid opening his wallet and having only 2 twenties.

The prayer cards seem like a minimal expense for a huge collection. Unless this week was the only one giving to that cause. The World Friendship Fund seems like a much better choice for this kind of giving. But I could go along with other causes easily.

My very limited observations based on 2 pack experiences. So, comments related to Cub Scouts.

(1) Lack of support by the father - If the dad does not see scouts as important, the kid is much less likely to continue on. As for sports, more dads are enthusiastic about the kid playing in sports. Shows up at every game, whoopin' and hollerin.' These dads are not showing up at every den meeting with this level of enthusiasm.

(2) Lack of good leadership at the den level - I've noticed that the dens in our current pack have pretty good retention if the den leader is halfway good. We've had quite the turnover of leaders at a couple levels, so those dens pretty much wash out.

I know I read this idea on this forum - Swimming with the Manatees in FL. Don't remember the details.

Our Council had them and then ran out. We were able to get hiking belt loops in March from the Atlanta Council store. (Our Cubmaster works near it.) But by the end of May, they were out of it also. We're told not to expect to see them before July.

I feel your pain. I'm a stickler for details being done, and done correctly, thank you. In the pack I'm in, I've had to abandon ship. We just had a parent lead the boys in our pack to earn the fishing belt loop. Guess what - He did not cover fishing regulations at all (1 of the 3 requirements), even though someone told him he would need to. And guess what happened at the pack meeting - The boys on the fishing outing received the belt loop. I conclude that the boys did their best to earn it. If I make an issue of it at a pack committee meeting, then he'll get mad at me. IT IS NOT WORTH IT.

Look at it this way. The scout is not the one trying to snow you. The scout did his best to earn the badge. I doubt that any of the boys will know the difference.

Our pack currently has 24 scouts, so around 20 families. We do no other fundraisers other than popcorn, and we have a scale such that the boys can earn some of their needed items if they sell beyond the $200 or $250 mark.

In the fall semester, there were several more families that dropped after Christmas. These kids did not sell much popcorn and had inconsistent attendance.

In general, the kids who sell popcorn well are earning belt loops, etc. The kids that didn't sell much are not earning much in belt loops, etc.

I calculated that we average about $25 or $30 per scout on this stuff. It may be a little higher this year because some leaders got patch-happy. We ask for $1 per meeting, $3 per month, but we don't do a good job of keeping track of who is paying.

I like the belt loops because it gives a sense of accomplishment to the boys, and some can be earned in one or two meetings. As far as afford, these parents are spending all kinds of money on other unnecessary things. I just saw a parent with all kinds of junk food in the small packages, loads of gatorade, etc. I don't feel guilty asking for money for scout things from this parent.

"Raffle prizes (to bring in MORE Money)"

Wait a minute - I thought it was against BSA Policy to use games of chance for fundraising.