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I have a question and maybe y'all can help. This year, my son meets the eligibility requirements for OA, however I am not sure he would be able to handle the Ordeal weekend, specifically one aspect of it (y'all know what part I am talking about).

 

When he asked what goes on at Ordeal, I told him I had my Ordeal in 1985 when I was 13 and I had a great time and left it at that. Has anyone had this type of experience with their own son or member of their troop? Is it best to let him have his experience and hope for the best? I would be there during Ordeal weekend, but I wouldn't tell him otherwise that may give him an easy way of bowing out. I love the ceremonies and fellowship.

 

I am glad to be back in the OA. I didn't realize it that going through Ordeal as a youth entitled me to still be in it when I became a leader. I sealed my Brotherhood in 2009.

 

 

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Kids can and will surprise you.

 

I had doubts about my own son getting through his Ordeal, but he made it with flying colors. (He even had that "I'm not going to cry, I'm NOT going to cry!" look on his face as he walked out of the council ring for the Pre-Ordeal.) I'd say it was a transformative experience for him, as he went from being the insecure kid I'd been negotiating with and dragging to campouts for two years into an engaged and involved Scout. (Three years later, he's now ASPL, Chapter Vice-Chief, heading for his second summer on Camp staff, and 1.5 merit badges and the project away from Eagle.)

 

Our Lodge primarily does Inductions over weekends, instead of at summer camp, so there's no way for an Ordeal Candidate to be completely clueless about what lies before him. (Maybe yours is different, when I was inducted into this same Lodge in 1978 I had absolutely no idea what was about to happen.) The one thing I told my son was even though he might find himself worried about certain situations, he would always be safe, and left it at that. Hmm, you know, I've had that same conversation with a lot of parents, too!

 

 

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This raises another question regarding ready, maybe another thread, 'Should OA candidates have prior expressed parental permission to join'? IMHO, I think it is bad practice for a SM to nominate a scout without first speaking with the scout's parents to ensure they have a basic understanding of the OA (specifically that it is not a troop activity) and the time commitment involved.

 

My $0.02

 

 

 

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One of the things my chapter does is have a "Candidate Orientation and Social" that informs everyone, candidate and parents, exactly what is involved. In fact mine is tonite, barring worsening snow conditions.

 

It helps some. I know form expereince that there is a lot of garbage, to put it VERY mildly, ou tthere that is false on the OA on the internet. I had a 45-60 minute conversation, maybe longer, with one mother who 1) didn't know anything about the OA, 2) read a lot of the garbage on the OA off the internet, 3) didn't knwo that not only was her son's SM a Vigil Honor member of the OA, but was a past Lodge Chief and Section Chief. needless to say her son did not go through the Ordeal.

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Well, unless things have changed since I was a youth in the 1970's, I don't see why not.

 

I was tapped out (now known as "called out") the second year I was eligible. I wasn't ready the first year, but apparently the other scouts in my troop knew that, and they didn't elect me. The next year, I was ready, and they voted me in.

 

>>>>(y'all know what part I am talking about).

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  • 1 month later...

I appreciate your dilemma. Last year my son was 11 and eligible for the OA. I did not feel he was ready. He and I had a talk about it, and he agreed. Hence I did not recommend him for selection, and he was not on the ballot. Ironically, I was never selected by my troop as a youth, and our committee selected me that same year. Most everyone I knew in the district and council had for years assumed I was in the OA; many would greet me with the OA handshake, and I would have to politely remind them that I was not in the OA and they were universally shocked. I did go through Ordeal last year, and this weekend, I am up for Brotherhood. My son was elected by the troop (I am proud to say by a unanimous vote!). He is older and more mature now (13 last weekend), and I am excited for him and confident he will do well.

 

Only you can make that decision, but I am confident that I made the right one.

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Buffalo Skipper,

 

Just curious about your son being elligible at the age of 11. One of the requirements is 15 nights of camping, (6 as part of a long term camp like summer camp) over a 2 year period. You son would have had to be a Boy Scout at 9 years of age to accomplish that requirement. But I've never been good at math.

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It's doable, hard but doable.

 

Say your Son becomes a Scout at age 10 years 3 months (scout with a Sept birthday and in 5th grade could join in Dec at that age) an your troop does 3 day/2 night campouts every month except December ( Christmas time) and July ( summer camp) that's 8 campouts before Sept, for a total of 24 days and 16 nights of camping. Then add a full week of summer camp (Sun- Sat) that's an additional 7 days/6 nites, for a total of 31 days and 21 nites of camping before turning 11.

 

Even with a Scout joining at age 10 years, in 6 months if he does five 3day/2 nite campouts and summer camp will get an 11yo a total of 25 days/17 nites of camping.

 

To correct the quote in the current BSHB (it states that "Outing is 2/3rds of Scouting) with the original GBB one...

 

 

..."OUTING is 3/4ths of ScOUTING."

 

 

PS maybe BP is correct in that Mazzuca is trying to takwe the outing out of scouting, by lowering OUTING 9% in Scouting ;)

 

 

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SR540Beaver,

The requirements is 15 nights of camping, (6 as part of a long term camp like summer camp) over a 2 year period. This is not a minimum of 2 years of troop participation, only that a scout can use the preceeding period of up to 2 years to fulfill the camping requirement.

 

My son joined in February and first camped in March (2 nights). He then camped in April and May (4 more), then summer camp (7), he missed the July canoe trip, but made the long canoe trip in August (4) as well as September-November (6). Elections were in December before we camped, so he had 16 plus 7 summer camp (max 6 to count) totalling 22 OA eligible nights in his first 9 months. We have an active troop.

 

No worries.

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