Who makes the call?

[Eagle732]

Does your troop specify who should call a merit badge counselor?

Is it OK for a parent to call or do you request the scout make the call?

 

[Lisabob]

Yes, and No.

 

Troop specifies. Parents should not be calling.

 

As an MBC, if a parent calls me (happens, occasionally), I request that they have their son call me back.

 

 

[Twocubdad]

Ditto. Unless the MBC does as LB and refuses to deal with the parents, there's no real enforcement.

 

Parents are difficult to train. I always get a chuckle out of the number of emails I get from "Scouts" sent from a parent's email address in the middle of a school/work day.

[Beavah]

Yah, Eagle732, always the scout.

 

For a first-time lad, I'd suggest the parent sit with the boy and help him think through what he's goin' to say, and then practice a bit. Gets the parent involved more productively. So if a parent calls me, I might gently suggest that and say how important it is to their son's growth, yada yada.

 

I always get a chuckle out of the number of emails I get from "Scouts" sent from a parent's email address in the middle of a school/work day.

 

Probably a lad with a smart phone in the middle of class, hackin' into his parent's email account.

 

At the risk of gettin' lynched by the blue card mafia, why would anyone in da modern world call to set up an appointment?

 

That's somethin' yeh do by text, email, or doodle.

 

[duckin' and runnin' for cover]

 

B

 

[Tokala]

I would expect the Scout to make the call.

 

As for the parent's email address, my 18yo Lodge Chief was required to use his parent's email address. His parents did not allow him to have an independent email address.

[Papadaddy]

I know several MBC who will thank the parent for calling, but inform them that "as soon as the Scout calls me and requests a meeting, we can get started." Contacting an adult you have never met is part of the lesson we are teaching.

[raisinemright]

Slightly off topic, but I had an adult call me once to see about the company I work for donating some materials for his son's Eagle project. We talked for a minute or so then I said "Now, I need to put on my Scoutmaster hat and ask you to have your son call me."

 

He had no idea who I was but he began to laugh and agreed with me. He was pretty much pre-calling to see who his son should try to contact. We're a good size corporation so I'm not sure I totally disagree with the idea.

 

That said, Scouts should be taught at the troop that parents may not call MBC's. That is the Scouts responsibility.

[Lisabob]

Beavah writes: "why would anyone in da modern world call to set up an appointment? That's somethin' yeh do by text, email, or doodle. "

 

To which my answer is: Because the council & district MBC lists don't include email, or cell #s. Those lists DO include home phone #s.

 

And that's ok with me, because some yokels have taken the council & district lists, scanned them, and posted them online (unprotected) for the whole world to see. Bad enough that my name, address, and unlisted phone # are now online - I really don't need my email and cell # out there, too.

 

 

[Oak Tree]

We don't directly specify it anywhere in our troop materials, but the BSA clearly lists the process and the Scout does the calling.

 

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/GuideforMeritBadgeCounselors/IntroToMeritBadges.aspx

[blw2]

I might be taking this whole thing out of context, since I'm just getting started as an adult scouter, and my son is fairly new to cubs....

 

But if I as a parent made a call to a scout leader, and that leader promptly blew me off...

ala the comment from this thread....

"Ditto. Unless the MBC does as LB and refuses to deal with the parents, there's no real enforcement. "

 

I would be furious and you as a leader would stand to be in a heap of trouble. These are minors we are talking about, and there should be no indication of anything being witheld from a parent.

Now I understand that it's about growing the boy with increased responsibility, but give the parent some info, talk it through with them. Tell them what will be said or done when the boy calls, etc....

Refuse to deal with a parent, and I'll promise if that parent is worth his or her salt, you WILL be dealing with them.

[Twocubdad]

SCOUT: "Hello, this Will. I'd like to make an appointment with you."

 

MERIT BADGE COUNSLEOR: "Will who?"

 

S: "Will Jones"

 

MBC: "Sure. Which merit badge? I counsel several."

 

S: "Camping"

 

MBC: "Fine. I'm free most evenings but Tuesday. Saturday afternoon is good too."

 

S: "Can you do it Sunday?"

 

MBC: "I would prefer not. How about Monday at 7:00"

 

S: "Let me check with my mom."

 

S: "Monday's not good for her, but she can do it Tuesday night."

 

MBC: "No, Tuesdays are out, how about Wednesday at 7:00?"

 

S: "I'll ask."

 

S: "Wednesday at 7:00 is good. But my mom wants to know if she has to stay."

 

MBC: "Yes, unless you bring another Scout as a buddy."

 

S: "Mom says she can wait, but she needs to be home by 8:00 for Dancing With The Stars."

 

MBC: "No problem. We can always meet again if we run short. My address is....."

 

S: "Okay, thanks"

 

MBC: "See you Wednesday."

 

 

 

Hours of texting

Days of emails

Three minutes on the phone

 

Of course the phone conversation (and I suppose an email, too) would easily include some discussion about the merit badge itself and a little back-and-forth about the requirement and what the counselor wanted the Scout to bring with him.

 

And don't think this is unrealistic. I've had these text exchanges with Scouts. Except after about the third round, I'll ask them to please call, that we need to have a coversation. My favorite text from a Scout was "Can I use you for a reference?" Of course my response was, "Who is this." I was really tempted to reply "NO", but figured the kid wouldn't figure out why.

 

Kids don't get the context and appropriateness of various media. This is one of the sessions we alternate in and out of our troop JLT. We'll give groups of Scouts several messages to communicate then ask them to develop it for different media. We then ask the whole group to decide which medium is best. If the message is "Final plans for trip out west" text or twit is wholly inappropriate. Of course, print, email or in person won't work for "I'll be a few minutes late for the meeting."

 

Beav, maybe you'd like to sit in on the training?

[Twocubdad]

Deep breath, blw.

 

I think you're missing the point --

 

If you call a counselor to set up an appointment for you son, I hope you get a polite refusal and request to have your son make the call.

 

On the other hand, if you call and say my son is a special needs kid and I need to give you some info before you meet with him OR I have some safety concerns about my son taking Shotgun Shooting OR I really question you scheduling your meeting with my son at Hooters, I'm confident you will get a very different response.

 

There is no intent to withold ANYTHING from you. At the point of making the appointment there is nothing TO withhold. You are more than welcome to be your son's buddy and sit through the entire process, if you choose to do so.

[Basementdweller]

Ya BLW you need to turn the type A off and switch to decaff...I hear the blades beating the air....

 

Cub Scouting is all about the adults....they plan it all execute it all.....The boys merely show up and reap the rewards.

 

 

 

So what ya gonna do???? spout off to the MBC???? What exactly is that gonna prove???? Resulting at you being the butt of jokes for a couple of years?????? Those other scouters you were planning on helping you won't

 

 

I have had the following conversation with a parent.

 

MOM calls "Little Johnny wants to take the Electronics Merit Badge and I would like to make arrangements for him to complete it".

 

Me "That's great when little Johnny wants to make the arrangements have him call me and I will me more than happy to meet with him and help him complete his merit badge."

 

Some times little johnny calls back other times not so much.....

 

For the Record BLW I am not required to see your scout as a MBC....It is voluntary.......

 

So no matter how much whining or pleading from mom or dad, Junior has to call me himself. You, as parent, can come to the meeting, quitely at the table....if that doesn't work and you, parent, can't help but to give Junior hints, I have a great seat in the other room for ya.

 

 

 

It is about teaching them to interact with adults they don't know just as much as the subject matter of the merit badge.

(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

[shortridge]

blw2,

 

The questions you ask here - what will be said, what will be done - are good and natural ones for a parent to ask. But the parent should be asking the Scoutmaster, an assistant SM, a committee member, etc., not the merit badge counselor.

 

If you talk to one of those men or women in your son's unit and learn more about the process in Boy Scouts, you'll find it's vastly different than what you're used to. Part of the difference is that to earn merit badges, your son will need to go to his Scoutmaster and get an application and some names and contact information of counselors. The counselors, it's important to note, may not be Scout leaders. In many cases, they are just local experts in a topic volunteering their time to help a Scout learn about astronomy, model railroading, or theatre. But one of the core things about earing merit badges is that your son does all the work. Including calling the counselor, setting up an appointment, getting a buddy and then doing the fun stuff. As a parent, there's nothing for you to do in the process except watch with pride.

 

Your son is fairly new to Cubs, you said, meaning none of this applies to him for probably a few more years. You need to learn about the Cub program and enjoy it with your son before getting concerned about the Boy Scout program. They are two utterly different beasts.

 

Best of luck, and have fun!

 

[suzisk8]

blw2,

 

My son is a Bear now and I just signed up and got approved to be a Merit Badge Counselor for Skating (I am a figure skating coach), Cooking, Textiles, and Computers. Starting this journey I can tell you it is a whole different ball game than leading Cubs. Realize that the boys are going to be starting this at age 11 and teaching interaction skills at this age is so valuable. When they get into the workforce whatever career they do (Heck, I had someone who got his Eagle Scout give me a nose piercing a couple of weekends ago, he was very professional and knew how to talk to people). blw2 Popcorn sales are just a couple of weeks away and the boys actually have to talk to people to sell that popcorn. Our Pack requires the boys to do the selling, NOT the parents. We are just supervisors. Oh, and as a Bear leader, this year I am making the boys more responsible for their books and what they want to do. If they do not do what I hand out as "homework" they do not receive the credit. I am not doing what I did at the end of this scouting year for the outgoing leader and reviewing what we forgot to do. Cubs gets tougher too as the boys move up.

 

Oh, thanks everyone for the advise in this post. I have learned so much from it!