Here's a new one - parent wants son to go from Scout to Eagle by Christmas.

[Eagledad]

Parents are the most challenging part of Scoutmastering. National should create a course to prepare for how to respond to them. It takes practice. We had a few families leave because we didn't budge on our program philosophy. One mother took her new tenderfoot son out because I wouldn't delegate him as the Patrol Leader. But we lost several scouts because of our approach to Eagle. And, the parents of the ones who stayed despite their parents' wishes would never speak to me again, even when I ran into them at the grocery store. 

Barry

[Tron]

On 9/4/2025 at 9:03 AM, Eagledad said:

Parents are the most challenging part of Scoutmastering. National should create a course to prepare for how to respond to them. It takes practice. We had a few families leave because we didn't budge on our program philosophy. One mother took her new tenderfoot son out because I wouldn't delegate him as the Patrol Leader. But we lost several scouts because of our approach to Eagle. And, the parents of the ones who stayed despite their parents' wishes would never speak to me again, even when I ran into them at the grocery store. 

Barry

To truly understand the program and how it needs to be ran, people just need to read so much more than they want. I've turned down being SM twice, and I'm bring probed for a third offer now; by the time I know the program well enough to be a good SM all of my kids will be in college 😛

[SSScout]

Two things occur to me:  

First, "the work is done by whoever shows up".    Very often the job is given/assigned to whoever raises their hand, regardless of anything else.

Second,  I suggest as required reading,  Kahlil Gibran's book "The Prophet", in this case the chapter on Children, a portion of which I quote here:  

"Your  children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.  They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you yet they belong not to you....

You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the  house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams....." 

 

See you on the trail......

[RememberSchiff]

Let's keep our language Courteous.  Thanks. 

[Tron]

On 9/6/2025 at 7:44 AM, SSScout said:

Two things occur to me:  

First, "the work is done by whoever shows up".    Very often the job is given/assigned to whoever raises their hand, regardless of anything else.

Second,  I suggest as required reading,  Kahlil Gibran's book "The Prophet", in this case the chapter on Children, a portion of which I quote here:  

"Your  children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.  They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you yet they belong not to you....

You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the  house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams....." 

 

See you on the trail......

more courteous ....

 

that's some communist nonsense.

[SSScout]

5 hours ago, Tron said:

more courteous ....

 

that's some communist nonsense.

I do not think that Baháʼu'lláh, or Gibran would agree with your comment.   A Scout is Reverent... 

[Tron]

17 hours ago, SSScout said:

I do not think that Baháʼu'lláh, or Gibran would agree with your comment.   A Scout is Reverent... 

But Marx, Lennon, Mao, and every other communist leader would.

BP would probably say something far worse than me considering his views on socialism and communism in his original guide to scoutmasters. 

 

[HashTagScouts]

4 minutes ago, Tron said:

But Marx, Lennon, Mao, and every other communist leader would.

BP would probably say something far worse than me considering his views on socialism and communism in his original guide to scoutmasters. 

 

That they would be independent thinkers and learners is hardly socialism or communism.

[SSScout]

Interesting turn of discussion, this...

""parent wants son to go from Scout to Eagle by Christmas.""

Has the Scout been asked what HE wants from Scouting?   Mom wants an Eagle badge....

[Armymutt]

5 minutes ago, SSScout said:

Interesting turn of discussion, this...

""parent wants son to go from Scout to Eagle by Christmas.""

Has the Scout been asked what HE wants from Scouting?   Mom wants an Eagle badge....

I had a discussion with the Scout last night when he wanted to test for Second Class and couldn't tell me when it is appropriate to use a fire for cooking or other purposes.  I pointed out that there are people with the Eagle badge and people with the Eagle badge who actually know the stuff, and asked what type he wanted to be.  He said he wanted to be the latter.  I pointed out that he couldn't list the Leave No Trace Principles, let alone tell me how to apply them, for example, when it came to fires.  I signed off some other stuff, but he will need to return to studying the material.