Eagle Mom

Some posts keep commenting that the drinking was "outside" of scouting and therefore shouldn't impact advancement to Eagle. This ignores the pledge that the scout signed which said he would be alcohol free. While the drinking did not take place on or at a Scout event, the drinking definately was "taking place within scouting" when he broke his pledge. This situation is analogous to the high school athlete that knows he can't drink and still play football on Friday night. If the kid drinks and the coach hears about it, he doesn't play. I would say that if this scout choses beer over being an Eagle Scout, he is probably already developing a drinking problem.

Interesting. The headline made it sound like the boys were in some kind of danger. The older boy had an equipment (shoe) failure, and after 40 miles the younger boy was under the weather. Although it is sad that they didn't get to finish their hike, it doesn't appear that this is another "scout tragedy".

Obviously I shouldn't post in the wee hours of the morning, because in reviewing the thread and my response, I want to clarify: 1. In some states there is an underage drinking exception for religious ceremonies. However, since this case involves beer, I can't imagine what religious ceremony might be involved. (Octoberfest?) 2. In some states, parents can consent to an underage consumption and service of alcohol. Some states require that the consumption be in the presence of the parent, and since this involves some "partying", I would question whether the parents were actually witness to the consumption. 3. Really the legality doesn't matter in this case. The troop pledge signed by the scout and his parents is controlling. If you don't enforce the pledge, then don't expect the boys to listen or believe anything else you say to them on any topic. If you don't enforce your troop pledge now, equal application and consistency in enforcement will become impossible in the future. i.e, would maijuanna use block advancement, how about DUI, what if they just have a statutory rape problem? what if one is a misdemeanor and one a felony? On a personal note, my husband and I once sat at a wedding where parents insisted that their 16 year old son be served champagne and wine. (With parental permission it was a legal request in the state.) It was surreal because the child had already been in residential treatment for drug abuse. When the waitress balked at serving a minor, my husband and I (both lawyers) were consulted about the legality of the underage drinking. We had to say it was legal, but we expressed strong opposition to the use of the alcohol by underage children, especially those with a dependency problem. We were nicely told to mind our own business, after all these were "nice parents from a good neighborhood, who otherwise had good parenting skills. The boy had just been experimenting with drugs and gotten into a little problem...After all, haven't we all done something stupid as kids?" It's now 5 years later and the boy has been dead for some time...alcohol and drug abuse.

I am the mother of an Eagle Scout and Life Scout (ages 16 and 13), I have also been an attorney for 27 years. Several things are evident in this matter. 1. The child is breaking the law. 2. In some states the parents may also be breaking the law (contributing to the delinquency, furnishing alcohol to minors etc.) 3. In cases like this, the parents are often furnishing alcohol to children other than their own. (clearly a violation of law in every state that I know). 4. You can bet your life that other boys in the troop know of this boy's conduct. (they aren't stupid you know, and I'm sure the kid brags about his parent's bizarre permissiveness). 5. Based on my experience, this boy will wind up in trouble, probably very publicly, before he goes off to college. The newspaper will describe him as "an Eagle Scout". Why on earth would you give this kid an Eagle Scout badge? It is a horrible thing for the child ( teaching him that rules have no consequences). It is a horrible example to the remainder of the troop. By allowing this boy to be an Eagle Scout you are telling the other boys that it is OK to break the law (not to mention the morally straight problem). You are also making yourself and your scout organization into absolute hypocrites. You evidently preach one thing (Scout Oath, Scout Law), but when push came to shove, you caved in so you could avoid an uncomfortable situation. In truth, if you deny advancement to this boy, he will probably drop out. That will be regretable because he obviously needs adults with common sense in his life. However, what would be accomplished for him if he gets a meaningless badge? The parent's won't create a fuss because they aren't really going to want the ramifications of their abusive behavior to be made public. Please, please don't hurt the rest of the boys in your troop by allowing this child to advance.

I am the mother of an Eagle Scout and Life Scout (ages 16 and 13), I have also been an attorney for 27 years. Several things are evident in this matter. 1. The child is breaking the law. 2. In some states the parents may also be breaking the law (contributing to the delinquency, furnishing alcohol to minors etc.) 3. In cases like this, the parents are often furnishing alcohol to children other than their own. (clearly a violation of law in every state that I know). 4. You can bet your life that other boys in the troop know of this boy's conduct. (they aren't stupid you know, and I'm sure the kid brags about his parent's bizarre permissiveness). 5. Based on my experience, this boy will wind up in trouble, probably very publicly, before he goes off to college. The newspaper will describe him as "an Eagle Scout". Why on earth would you give this kid an Eagle Scout badge? It is a horrible thing for the child ( teaching him that rules have no consequences). It is a horrible example to the remainder of the troop. By allowing this boy to be an Eagle Scout you are telling the other boys that it is OK to break the law (not to mention the morally straight problem). You are also making yourself and your scout organization into absolute hypocrites. You evidently preach one thing (Scout Oath, Scout Law), but when push came to shove, you caved in so you could avoid an uncomfortable situation. In truth, if you deny advancement to this boy, he will probably drop out. That will be regretable because he obviously needs adults with common sense in his life. However, what would be accomplished for him if he gets a meaningless badge? The parent's won't create a fuss because they aren't really going to want the ramifications of their abusive behavior to be made public. Please, please don't hurt the rest of the boys in your troop by allowing this child to advance.