Personal Management MB and councilor

[Basementdweller]

Well we had a bank host the Personal Management MB two Saturday's ago. Had a lad ask for a merit badge card the Monday prior and returned with a completed merit badge card just after the MB class.

 

Well I took the card and asked the lad about how he tracked 3 months worth of expenses in a week? I asked him to bring it into show me. Well he did. Honestly it looked like he sat down at the kitchen table yesterday and wrote it out. the sheet was perfectly clean, the lawn mowing money was paid every week, even while he was at summer camp with me. The sheet was perfectly hand written in a brand new notebook, same pen was used thru the entire list, it did not look like something that lived in the lads room for three months.

 

It was also missing some expenses I know of first hand.

 

Needless to say, I questioned the lad as to how that was possible....

He could not tell me what a loan was or what APR was associated with a loan.

 

I asked him if he thought he earned it, he said yes. I even mentioned his two recently missing video game purchases that were not on the expense report and his lawn mowing pay day while we were at summer camp and another while we were at webelos resident camp. He didn't back down.

 

So with the information would you not allow it????

 

This isn't a failure of the MBC but of my lads lying again.

 

Are my expectations too high???? Or is this how everyone else is doing it.

 

 

I am getting really frustrated by my guys and the short cutting crap.

[RememberSchiff]

Luckily our few adult MBC's are more savvy. We have similar issues with some scouts and parents.

 

Can you off-load policing merit badges to another responsible adult leader who will also stand firm as you have?

[Twocubdad]

You know the score. Time to be part of the solution or part of the problem.

[Sentinel947]

Basement, stand firm brother. This is one of those lessons this Scout needs to learn, "cheaters never win." I don't think your expectations are unrealistic.

 

 

 

Sentinel947

[Tampa Turtle]

I'd say I would say it is only partially complete. Our MBC had them bring in updates every week or so to keep them honest and so they could talk about income/outgo, very issues. I keep telling the boys "the worksheet is NOT the merit badge".

[Basementdweller]

My thought on handling this is.....

 

Lad starts tracking his expenses now. He brings it in every couple of weeks and we will look at it and see how it is going. In 13 weeks he is done.....

 

along with a discussion on being trustworthy.

 

 

But the bright side is I had a handful of other merit badge cards turned in and it the guys new the subject and one fellow even brought in the electic motor he made... The other had a video of his robot running the course. at least some of the work is getting done.

[qwazse]

My thought on handling this is.....

 

Lad starts tracking his expenses now. He brings it in every couple of weeks and we will look at it and see how it is going. In 13 weeks he is done.....

 

along with a discussion on being trustworthy.

 

 

But the bright side is I had a handful of other merit badge cards turned in and it the guys new the subject and one fellow even brought in the electic motor he made... The other had a video of his robot running the course. at least some of the work is getting done.

Hate to say this, but looks like you're making a phone call. Sometimes the guys in the trenches gotta train the counselor.

 

After all, there's no way in the real world any bank would hire a person or firm to produce bogus reports on their assets and liabilities. Oh, wait ...

[Basementdweller]

I am disappointed in my boys that is the bottom line.

 

I got 4 cards back last night, 3 of them were fine and one was bad, and I am stuck focusing on it.

[qwazse]

I am disappointed in my boys that is the bottom line.

 

I got 4 cards back last night, 3 of them were fine and one was bad, and I am stuck focusing on it.

I remember that feeling when one of our Eagle candidates got busted trying to skate by on fudged Personal Management work. It's not fun. Telling him he needed to come clean with his fellow scouts that he didn't make it wasn't fun either.

 

Downstream ... on the flip side, that young man now trusts us for honest answers to life's questions. Still, I wish he would have stepped to and never had to learn that the hard way.

[scoutergipper]

I am disappointed in my boys that is the bottom line.

 

I got 4 cards back last night, 3 of them were fine and one was bad, and I am stuck focusing on it.

Yeah, unfortunately putting out fires like this can become the focus. I faced a somewhat similar situation, but in that case an experienced MB counselor signed off on a Camping Merit Badge when the Scout did not have 20 nights. And the counselor had been TOLD he didn't have 20 nights. It was a bad scene, and I struggled with who to hold accountable. In the end, I figured the Scout was going to get to 20 nights eventually, and so let it go.

 

However, I think your solution is right in your case. Your Scout clearly did not do the work and the fact that he's just bald-faced lying about it's pretty troubling. We can't add to Merit Badge requirements, and should certainly not be subtracting from them.