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dewASM

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Everything posted by dewASM

  1. If you made me stand up in public and sing, I would be mortified. I have a terrible voice, know it and do not sing in public - except quietly in Church because God will forgive me. Had I been made to do this as a child, I would probably never return to whatever venue caused me such embarrassment. However, being the goody two shoes that I was, a very stern reminder would have made me change my behavior. My guess is that those who are willing to change their behavior do not need to be publicly humiliated to do it. And those who are not willing to change their behavior probably also do
  2. I am always amazed at how quickly the claim of confidentiality or 'my hands are tied' comes out after someone has done something ridiculous or just plain wrong. Suddenly they don't want to talk about it. By then it is too late. If they did not want to talk about the situation with a Scout's parents, they should never have brought the subject up with the Scout. BTW, I recognize the need for not addressing an entire group but am talking about a minor's parent. And I believe that if these adults truly believed they were doing the right thing and protecting other Scouts, they would have
  3. I have to stick up for Basementdweller here. I have a Council a lot like his and understand his frustration. It often feels as if they try to make your life more difficult. I am not sure you understand the frustration unless you have been there. For those of you who have councils that provide assistance, Bravo!! and thank them. But people like us who not only do not get assistance but sometimes feel like they purposely try to annoy us, it is hard to open our wallets. And before you all have a cow, in our district there is no Roundtable. The Spring Camporee was just cancelled. The winter
  4. I have read this thread and the one from which it was spun and something about them 'bothered' me. I have finally come to the conclusion that I am bothered by the boy's mother contacting the old troop for records. Why? If the boy has his book and council had records, what could you need from the old troop? For merit badge partials, the boy should have a blue card. And even if you didn't, why open a can of worms just do it again. It seems to me if the boy has been counseled and truly wants to start over, just do it. The mother's only purpose in going to the old troop would be to kind of t
  5. If the two mothers are fluent in English then the only reason to speak Polish is to exclude others and that is rude. I have been on the receiving end of being in a meeting where everyone spoke English and yet they conducted part of the meeting in Spanish. It did not matter whether they were speaking about me, it was done to make others feel unwelcome, excluded and isolated. This is not a civil rights matter, it is a matter of manners! I work in Boy Scouts and this certainly doesn't pass my kind, courteous or thoughtful test. I might moderate my thoughts, a little, if one or both is
  6. This line: "Yes he and dad camped with us....both memorable including the boy melting down when we threw him and his steak out of the patrol dining area. " .... is one that particularly made me think of my nephew. A true 'punk' would have reveled in being thrown out. They would have worn it as a badge of honor. They would never let you see them care. The 'melting down' is more indicative of a child who does care, who is surprised by the reaction... Again, I have never met these people, but something in this narrative strikes a chord with me.
  7. Hey SeattlePioneer I wasn't trying to diagnose this Scout. Nor was I advocating indulging this Scout or my nephew in fact, my sister-in-law and I have had some heated discussions about the line between helping and overprotecting. And I also recognize that the responsibility lies with the parent to clue in leadership, but many parents, including my brother, have struggled mightily with admitting his son is not perfect. Though I frequently remind him that no child is perfect, some imperfections are just more noticeable than others. When I read this thread, I could picture my nephew's
  8. Just a question...... Is it possible this boy has issues? I can see my nephew who suffers from Aspergers doing some of these things. He is very intelligent and very high functioning BUT only eats certain foods, sleeps certain places, etc. And he lacks the social skills and ability to realize he should not wave his steak at other people. His sense of what is amusing or appropriate is not always on target he lacks the ability to 'read' a situation. My nephew is also very literal. So if the requirement said help, he would help not do. If the requirement said go, but not how long to sa
  9. Yup, once a year by council. Always the first weekend in June. Leader specific is usually once a year too. And no Roundtable in my district. No NYLT in at least 3 years. So my question is if training is so important that I must be mandated to do it, why is it not important to Council or District? To me it is clearly a very mixed message.
  10. My problem is not the training but that they mandate training and then.... 1. make me pay for it 2. I have to travel AT LEAST an hour and a half in each direction to take it 3. It is only given once a year and always on the same weekend. One which is not practical for me. I am a salesman working on commission and it is given during the busiest three weeks of my year. Not to mention it is the same weekend as Honor Society Inductions and several other events in June. I am not the only one in my rural area to complain about the timing and logistics. Offer it at camp. I have said if
  11. I guess I see this a little differently. He has been active until the last meeting, so what makes you assume they are quitting? And his mother asked about schedules? So... Maybe his mother is working overtime during tax season, his grandmother is sick, his brother is failing school, the roof leaks, the dog is dying,.... I think you get the idea. The reality is that scouting is only part of everyone's life. Wait a week or two, call, and just ask if everything is okay. Tell them the pack and den misses their son. Who knows they might be encouraged to return. Case in point, I have
  12. Did not start a pack, but did start a troop. I don't disagree that you need to follow the guidelines, but on a practical level, I might suggest: 1. What role will you play? Cubmaster, Committe Chair, Charter Org Rep 2. Now that you have chosen, find someone to fill the other roles. 3. This gives you a core group. Use this group to recruit the other adults you think you would need. I would suggest 3 more members of the committee (to add to the CC and COR) and several den leaders. You might be able to fill some den leaders from parents after sign up, but IMO having no leadership
  13. My frustration is more often that Scout events promise something and then don't deliver. Then it is hard to get the boys excited about the next event. for example, last October at a big Centennial event, they promoted heavily a certain band. When we arrived, the band was not playing, instead there was a comedian. They had also promised areas to work on the Centennial merit badges but no one could find them either. This year we did an event at Howes Cavern that was advertised to include booths to work on the geology merit badge. When we got there is was one woman sitting on the floor
  14. RememberSchiff Bravo! That is it exactly. I had the local science teacher ready to Environmental Science and Geology. Fascinating guy who lives off the grid actually generates his own electricity. But the whole references, YP, etc turned him off. He has been teaching for 37 years. Has done all this, why do it again. And FYI, someone who wants to harm a child will do so even if they have taken YP. In fact, they are the ones willing to take YP if it means access to children. YP is about covering someone's butt not protecting children. Ask me about the local priest who was committee chair
  15. Clemlaw: "I wonder what they'll make of it when they get an application out of the blue from someone interested in counseling a few obscure MB's, and who is willing to work with any Scout in the council. " Oh Clemlaw, how I wished you lived in upstate NY!!! Finding MB counselors has been one of the hardest parts of being a new Scoutmaster in a new troop, because so few people think like you do. And we live a very rural area which limits the talent pool.
  16. Hey Infoscouter, I was unclear on that website, who exactly is Scoutmaster Bucky? Is this council sponsored? I must say he has very nice worksheets! LOL And I liked that on some prerequisites, he requires signatures ie if it was a presentation on the troop level, it required the signature of the SPL or Scoutmaster. However, did I read it right, communications in 4 hours? That doesn't sound like enough time. I am a Communications MB counselor, and the last time we did it, I spent an hour on ways to communicate - just that. Okay, I am a communicating fool! But we spent time talking a
  17. I am relatively new to Scouting and our boys have not attended a merit badge day but I can see why it would be appealing to both Scouts and our troop. These are some of my issues with merit badge counselors and I would be interested in if these are new issues or issues in only our area. 1. Council does not have a current or usable merit badge counselor list just some old binders you can leaf through and call people to see if they are willing to still do a badge. Last time I went looking for something, I found someone who is dead and someone who I know left Scouting after an issue and cho
  18. Our boys left a troop that basically only went to summer camp (there were many other reasons too!) and he have spent the last 18 months as a new unit trying to rebuild an outdoor program. But it hasn't always been easy. So before we place all the blame at the feet of the Scoutmaster, I would ask: Were there enough adults willing to go? Were there drivers? Always an issue for us. Everyone wants to send their sons away for the weekend but they don't want to drive them there. Many weekends my husband and I both drive in separate vehicles to get everyone and equipment to an event. D
  19. I am the Scoutmaster of a young troop (less than 2 years). We left another troop to form this one. The pack is chartered by the same people as our old troop. This year the pack had 4 boys earn the Arrow of Light and the all joined our troop. Now I would like to take credit for for a great presentation or some fantastic formula but the reality is that the boys came to us because the like and respect the boys in our troop. These young men aspire to be like the slightly older young men who make up our troop. My scouts have gone out of their way to befriend these young men, acknowledging them
  20. We collect dues monthly $5/month. Dues are collected by the scribe who keeps track on a simple chart. He does have to chase boys for dues and I sometimes have to remind him to do that! However, I think it is important for the boys to be part of paying their way. A yearly fee will simply be a check from mom or dad. I also make sure to tell them where their money goes. For example, when we recharter, I announce the charter and the cost involved. Scouts need to know that the Troop is using the money wisely. When we work on the yearly calendar, we talk about expenses. We review th
  21. How about a hunt for the leprechaun's gold (candy coins, of course!). You could use compass directions if your boys are capable or more simple so many steps to the east, etc.... Might even be able to hide a small treasure for each den with directions that fit their ability levels. Or hide paper shamrocks either inside or outside (still cold and snowy here in the northeast) and have the boys search. Den with the most shamrocks wins a prize. Have someone tell a story of the leprechauns. Could even be a little spooky as leprechauns can be naughty little guys. Green snacks are given
  22. This must be one of those urban legends. I have had some people tell me the same thing. That an Eagle Scout is required to maintain their project. When I asked what happens when they leave the area, I was told they were required to appoint someone else to maintain the project. Didn't really understand how this could be enforced. But I have to say it is a nice idea for an Eagle Scout to make sure their projects are maintained, if necessary.
  23. When I became SM of a brand new troop last year, a boy came to me asking about the coin collecting merit badge. I called council looking for a MBC. First I was told that I could not receive that information over the phone or via email. I would have to drive an hour to the council. Well, I did. I was then handed two large three ring binders and told I could find one in them. They were sorted not by MB but by troop. As I leafed through troops closest to us I was amazed that many of the names in these books were no longer connected to scouting, very old and ill and some were even dead. Obvio
  24. I am going to play devil's advocate and defend your BIL. Perhaps his frustration is not with the time spent in Scouting but the craziness that has become the PWD in many packs. There is more pressure on winning and perfect cars than on the father/son moment. Perhaps he is not comfortable in his ability to create a car with his son which will not be derided for being too slow. My son loved PWD and worked hard with his dad on his car. Two years in a row he was a winner in the pack. The third year as he approached the final rounds (he did not win by the way) he was actually booed by people a
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