Scouting As A Program For Adults

[sherminator505 10]

Scouting is for the boys. It is not for the adults, and it isn't even about the adults until they make it so.

 

Is it okay for the adults to have fun working with the boys? Of course!

 

Is Scouting a place for adults to get their egos stroked? No!

 

What happens when adults can't get along or even maintain a healthy attitude in front of the Scouts? The Scouts decide rather quickly that there is someplace they'd rather be.

 

Do I envy my Key 3 (or any Key 3 for that matter)? No! They have to deal with adults with powerful egos that sometimes act worse than the boys.

 

Do I think that adult recognition is the root of these problems? No. A reasonable amount of recognition can help Scouting retain qualified, dedicated leadership. The problems rest with the individuals.

 

Here on these threads we now see a couple of Scouters who have started a virtual food fight. No ego problems here. But from some of the posts, it is apparent that the boys were exposed to these shenanigans. It is at times like this that I wonder whether or not the boys are the mature ones! Sheesh!

[pchadbo 60]

Boy this seems an awful public place to hang the Dirty Laundry. . .I for one vote to let the Key 3, DE, or SE involved handle this and keep the rest of the world that doesn't need to know out of the loop.

 

Lets keep private things private.

[packsaddle 753]

Perhaps this thread should have been titled, "The Jerry Springer Show".

[Mr. Boyce 13]

Scouting's for boys. The learning and achievement are for youth. The adults are facilitators. . . and, truth be told, the more tangible (award) motivators in scouting really aren't much motivation for me.

 

As facilitators, scouters should really be in love with the program and what it can do; it's a bit like coaching a sport because you love it.

[Twocubdad 665]

Jer-RY, Jer-RY, Jer-RY, Jer-RY!

 

[Eagle732 27]

Not too often we get BOTH sides of a story!

[resqman 108]

I have two sons. One loves sports and spends most of his free time playing sports. Made several try-out teams and advanced to a travel team with paid coaches. Practices 3-4 times a week and games every weekend within a 3 hr drive. Several times in his life he was on mulitple teams at the same time with as many as 8 practices in a week and 3 games in a weekend. Not much time left over for scouting. Scouting did not hold any appeal to him.

 

Other son loves science, nature and scouting. No interest in sports. Since I was a DL and now an ASM, he has had to go early and stay late to every meeting. He tries out new projects, skills, and activties before I release it to the Den, Pack or Troop.

 

My job is not to "sell" scouting to my sons. My job as a parent is to provide the opportunity for my children to be exposed to many different opportunties and encourage them to take advantage of those opportunties. If my son absolutely hates standing in the outfield baking in the sun, why wouldn't I find something more exciting for him? If my son hates sleeping on the ground in a tent and eating burn food made by other boys, why would I make him participate? Just as some adults prefer attending sporting events, others of us prefer to go hiking, camping, rock climbing, scouting. The lads are no different.