Threat of bodily harm and knife pulled

[Beavah 205]

Yah, Tawhawk, first aiders are medical pros and da definitive treatment for most injuries that occur in da field.

 

We treat cuts, scrapes, burns, dehydration, hypothermia, illness, stings, bites, blisters, minor dislocations, insulin shock, on and on... in the field, to final resolution or to the point where it's stable and we can have the lad "see your doctor this week."

 

And then a few other things, like simple fractures, we manage da supportive care and transport ourselves.

 

Only a few rare things that are truly threatening to life and limb do we call in da cavalry for.

 

If yeh take kids into the woods and feel yeh have to call in professional EMS for a simple cut or basic dehydration, then yeh probably shouldn't be takin' kids into the woods.

 

What's not completely clear from ramblinrosey's description is whether this is a small cut or a sucking chest wound, but da fact that the boys were back to best pals within da hour suggests it was probably closer to the small cut end of da scale.

 

There have been times with boys gettin' into a fight where I've separated and talked to 'em and that was enough.

There have been times with boys gettin' into a fight where I've sent boys home, and talked to parents.

There have been times I've recommended professional counselors to parents (for themselves or their boy ).

There have been times with boys gettin' into a fight that I've removed a boy from a troop or from Scouting.

I've never yet called law enforcement about boys gettin' into a fight, but I suppose I can imagine cases where that would be necessary. Those would be very rare, compared with all da others.

 

As youth group leaders, we are semi-pros, eh? We are holdin' ourselves out to our communities as havin' expertise in this Scouting stuff. That implies a level of comfort and ability dealin' with teenage behaviors.

 

Beavah

 

[Tampa Turtle 1011]

Beavah,

 

Exactly. And we never got all the particulars. Lots of speculation.

 

In our Troops past (before I was there) we had one boy (Bit of a thug) stab another in the leg 2-3 inches with a K-Bar. He did get picked up my police at the campsite but his buddy's family refused to press charges. The fact that he was the local HS star QB no doubt helped. After 4 months the then SM let him back him "to save the boy".

 

This is the same boy who stole a ASM's car at a camp-out and drove his patrol to a rural bar and got drunk in the middle of the night. So the reinstatement was obviously a BAD call.

 

His mom was a key committee member who threatened to sue the CO and Troop all the time. All 3 of her boys were jail house material. Of course 2 made Eagle.

 

Mr Knife is now a SEC starting QB and likely to go pro. He has already had his share of controversies and I expect him to hear more of him when he is in the NFL.

 

I hear some of these stories from our retired SM grey beards and I am glad for are small scale behavior issues of late.

[nldscout 18]

24 hours locked up in the Jail, Betting he won't he won't do it again.

[acco40 95]

I'll add a little levity.

 

One day at summer camp, one the first year scouts, who had a rather calm, easy going disposition, sits down at a picnic table with myself (SM) and about four other scouts. He calmly pulls out his knife and then next thing you know, waves his arm back left to right and back again. The Scouts to his immediate left and right dive out of the way and everyone is just sitting there in shock for a second or two.

 

Finally, I can sense the scout has no real aggression and I ask him what in the heck was he doing. Well, he stated, that is what they taught us in Pathfinder today, before you use your knife, make sure everyone is at least an arms length away. In his eyes, he was just mimicking his instructor that day. Well, I calmly but firmly informed him of the proper way to ensure the arms length rule and he was fine.

 

I'm sure other adults may have acted differently but it did help that I knew this scout and was able to witness firsthand the entire event. I also made a side trip to the volunteer Pathfinder instructors the next day!