I am considering pulling by boy out of scouts

[Cigarsquid]

Its Me -- some great debate your comment created. I've just joined this form, as I've recently taken over as SM for my son's Troop.

 

I was only periferally involved with him in Webelo's, as I'm active duty Navy and we were stationed in Japan at the time. Most of the time I was at sea, so I ended up missing out on the "fun" stuff.

 

I was never a Scout. I went camping and fishing and hunting with my Dad as I was growing up, but I don't have the Scouting background that so many here seem to have.

 

I'm still on active duty, but now on shore duty where I can participate in the development of the Scouts in our Troop -- not just my son's. ROI -- I get it every Monday night when a Scout comes up and asks me for a SM conference. I get it every Court of Honor when our boys receive their advancement or merit badges. I get it when a parent or ASM comes up after the meeting and thanks me.

 

My $.02 is let your son at least experience Scouts. If he doesn't care for it, then fine -- there are plenty of opportunities for him to grow. Step back -- let the SM and ASMs do the work for awhile.

 

I have to say that I'm extremely blessed with our Troop. Four of my ASMs no longer have boys in Scouting -- they all earned their Eagle and have gone off to college or the military or to jobs. But those men LOVE Scouting enough that they're willing to show up at almost every meeting and quite a few of the campouts/events. Without those men, I would not be able to function as the SM -- I don't know enough about Scouting. So I rely on them the teach and guide me. Talk about your ROI. I've learned so much in the past three months that I've served as SM and I've gotten to watch my son grow in the process. Has he advanced as fast as I'd like him too? No. Has he worked on merit badges as I'd like him too? No. But I don't push him -- the agreement in our Troop is that if my son is goofing off and needs to be called to task -- an ASM or adult leader handles it. If he hasn't done any advancement work -- an ASM or adult leader talks to him about his progress.

 

And, like someone mentioned earlier in this thread -- I have at least five boys who live more than 30 minutes away, and in two weeks, we'll be bridging four more. Why? Because their parents like what we seem to have in this Troop.

 

I wish you the best,

 

Tim Hagey

SM, Troop 99

Albany, Oregon

[iiipopes]

You may be overlooking the return on your investment of time and money. Is your son out there doing things? Enjoying life? Too many children these days sit on the couch watching television, playing video games, mindlessly sitting at the computer for hours on end, doing drugs, having sex at way too early an age.

 

Is your son happy? Busy? Content at being allowed to enjoy his childhood? There are so many bad things in this world today. Scouting allows for a safe environment to explore and grow at his own pace.

 

If your child is growing in knowledge of how relationships work among his den mates, he is learning how to work with others and that will carry over to his adult career. If your son is completing advancements and getting recognition for doing so, then he is gaining confidence that will help him in all aspects of life. If your son is helping to teach others, serving as a denner, leading flag ceremonies, etc. then he is learning what it takes to be in charge of a group of people with a common goal. That is going to help him in work, home, church, anything that requires a leader.

 

Scouting is not about first aid, tying knots and flag ceremonies. It is about growing confidence, teaching leadership, accepting responsibility for self and others, making relationships work, being good stewards.

 

When one loses their focus, they shouldn't overreact. Step back and re-assess your goals. See if you've lost sight of the overall benefits. Then ask your son about his goals. See where he wants to be in a year, five-years, ten-years. Don't assert your views on him, let him make his own decisions. That is one of the things scouting helps him learn - making the right decisions for himself.

 

It is a great program if you are in it for the boys - not just your own son, but all the boys. When you invest your time and energy into a program based for children, you have to be in it for the right reasons.

 

Be careful about your demeanor around the kids. Children are much better at reading people than we give them credit for. Everything a person, any person does, that connects in any way with another person, will directly affect the outcome of the other person's life. Skepticism and negativity are things we don't want our boys to learn. The world teaches them that lesson way too well.

 

Everyone gets tired. Especially if you're not getting any assistance. Talk to your District Executive about ways to get more out of scouting. Attend Roundtable to get the resources you need to find badge counsellors in the community.

 

Scouting is a life-long community of friends. Your son will find doors opening to him as an adult just because he was in scouting as a youth. My brother received three different community scholarships over other applicants because he was an Eagle Scout. Then he went on to be chosen to be a Federal Bank Examiner over another more qualified person by the federal government just because he was an Eagle Scout. The world looks at Eagle Scouts as being more trustworthy, loyal and reliable.

 

Scouting is a program about life-long learning. The mode of teaching these lessons is up to you.

 

Hang in there! Things will become clear to you in time.

[surgtechscout]

Hi There, I think you're heart is definitely in the right place but, you have to consider the overall experience. True, scouting has a great deal to do with the outdoors but it also builds friendships that last a life time and are well worth the time spent now. I was in a cub pack and a troop as a boy and then i lost interest.When my son joined I got involved again and found 2 very old friends were still involved with their sons.

We've spent afternoons talking about old times and boys in our old troop and those are some of the best memories this middle aged scout has. So why not give it a try and then let your son decide, afterall scouting is suppose to be boy run! And from the sound of your letter he'll do the right thing just like you taught him too!

[anndeedee]

I don't know what your son is like........

I am a Web 2 Den Leader of a den of two boys. With just two of them, the boys completed most of the requirements for crossing over into Boy Scouts last year, as well as most for the Arrow of Light. The troop that they decided to cross over into invited them on a campout last summer. What an eye opener!! Up until that point, I considered letting them join the Boy Scouts early. However, I really saw how immature they were when they were on the campout. Neither boy was quite ready for the increase in responsibility and teenage comraderie. They had a great time but the differences were very obvious to us parents. I backed off and slowed down abit for their Web 2 year. I worked on getting them to be the leaders' helpers for training and prep. of the Web 1s for the Webelos Jamboree and Webelos Woods campoouts.

 

Scouts is SO MUCH MORE than going outdoors............obviously, the decision is your son's to make. But don't taint his thinking by feeding into the "we can do it all at home" attitude. You can't. If you try to, it will be your son's loss.........

[oldsm]

anndeedee, thank you so much for seeing the difference in maturity level and slowing down on the web2 program.

 

I remember from my days as a den leader that I saw way too many Web leaders compressing the Webelos program. It is designed to be a 2-year program. When it's compressed in to 18 months or less, the boys are the ones who get cheated. Then they often get crossed into a troop that they're not mature enough to join, and most of them drop out within a relatively short time.

 

I believe that the troop/den interaction during the Web2 year serves two purposes: 1) to entice the boys so that they'll stay in the program, and 2) to show adults like you why it's not wise to push them into an early program shift.

 

Congratulations for seeing this, and thanks for sharing your insight with us.

[renards]

hey all im a chief in lebanese scouts i need to know more abt u and i can help u and i need to c the difference btw our scouts and urs but all that i need is a reply from u .n.b:the scouts homework begins at home

[SeattlePioneer]

I have seen quite a few boys who were experience in camping with their families, but that is a lot different than camping with the Boy Scouts.

 

Boy Scouts are responsible for deciding what kinds of trips and activities they will do, reseraching camping spots, planning menues and collecting the gear, menues and work assignments needed to do the trip. They are responsible for getting together their own gear, and using a map and compass to find their way to the destination.

 

Once there, they are responsible for setting up their camp, cooking their food, cleaning up after meals, and organizing their own campfire for entertainment. On Sunday they organize their own church service, and plan the content of their weekly troop meetings.

 

The Scouts that can't do these things are taught how to do them by the boys who have learned how to do them.

 

 

So, It's Me, how many of these skills has your son really mastered? How many can he teach to other boys?

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer