Engineer61

Yikes ... been hearing more and more about pot at various kid functions...not good ... Rules are rules... rules for all of us are called laws....of course they vary from locale to locale...but in general terms ... If you offer a minor tobacco, alcohol, OTC drugs, illegal drugs or sexual contact ... it's a crime of some sort...that's a job for legal authorities....you break the big rules, you get the big consequences. The kid has problems far bigger than whether or not he Eagles. If he's offered pot up at Scout camp then he's done so elsewhere...

There's two words there that have to be evaluated closely ... unaware = oblivious ... he has no clue what he is doing is affecting others? I kinda doubt that. I'll put a big vote in for uncaring. My two sons are opposites...my oldest is fully aware ... so much so that because of his ADHD, he chooses not to interact with very many people because he does not want to insult anyone, especially the opposite sex. My younger son (the Scout) is truly oblivious about what he says or how he says it 99% of the time. We have to put the brakes on him quite frequently.

I dunno, when my daughter wanted to go to tech school, it was $75000 for three years....and no aid....not too cheap.

I dunno, when my daughter wanted to go to tech school, it was $75000 for three years....and no aid....not too cheap.

The cost on Epi-pens varies with insurance...our's were like $10 then when to $30. Incidentally, the Epi-pen trainer is NOTHING like the real thing! The real injector has a HUGE recoil from the spring loaded injector...and if you don't apply it with enough pressure, it will bounce out before completing the injection....basically wasting the shot. The Epi-pens typically last 1 year, but I ditto a previous poster they are heat (and also cold) sensitive...they will crack if frozen and the medication doesn't like high temperature...a drag in the desert southwest. Also, depending on the extent of the reaction and the metabolic rate, the effect of the Epi-pen can wear off ...but the max duration is usually only about 30 min. Most people care two...and they are packaged that way now. Also, a little known issue.. I believe the Epi-pens are shock sensitive as well. When my daughter was is school, we found one injector spent in it's container...it apparently fired when she dropped her backpack.

As one that has life-threatening food allergies, and has a daughter with them...the avoidance can be a little tricky. Peanut allergy is the biggest bummer....because there are what you would think are unrelated foods that can be an inconvenience, or just as deadly at the peanuts themselves. If you have the peanut allergy, you have to know if you are also allergic to tree nuts, beans or peas as well. (Peas being the most common I believe.) Quiz the allergy kids, and the parents. Also, because accidental exposure is inevitable, you have to know how severe the reaction will be (rashes/runny nose/anaphylaxis) and how to treat an exposure... anti-histamines, Epi-pen....

To bad you can't revoke rank. Because that is probably the only solution that will work. My guess is that this kid can't be turned around without a serious butt-kicking from another scout, I would start recruiting the biggest kids you can find to offset this bully. The Eagle rank appears to have validated his superiority complex....so he's gonna pummel every kid he can with it. Probably could be a troop killer, given enough time and exposure.

I liked one of the comments to the article: "I don't think that being a Boy Scout had a darn thing to do with me becoming a responsible adult. Sure was fun, though." I tend to agree with that.

The "B is no better than an F" view comes from the fact that if you don't have "at least" a 3.0 "CORE GPA" and a higher overall GPA (weighted or not), colleges and universities (other than community colleges) will either not look at you or waitlist you. Been there done that. This is true even for the big "State" universities. Way different than when I entered college...heck I probably would not have gotten in. This is especially true for scholarships...GPA is the weed-out. Unless your extra-curr's are in your intended profession (my son and music for example) it is definitely his/her advantage to control the extra's. My son used to be in Marching Band and play/umpire Baseball in the spring. But he chose extra's that were more in line with his career path...honor music groups outside the school. As for the AP courses, unless you plan to go to the specific college that is offering the AP credit...don't bother...the credits most likely won't transfer...although I suppose it looks good on your transcript anyway. Now if you plan to go into forestry, park ranger, geology or some such avenue, the Scouting is probably and all-in proposition.

I was thinking the other day that it is too bad that the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's didn't encompass ALL the groups that need the changes to occur...would have been a lot more efficient.

May be... but anyone who's tried to matriculate a kid into college lately will soon learn that a "B" on the transcript is an "F" ... and Eagle counts for nothing in your average admissions office.

I think you really answered your own question, "And that may be because they see no need for having scout skills." Unless you have a lifestyle or career that needs those capabilities, I think that Scouting is probably nothing more than recreation to most boys. At most a hobby, but not a lifelong state of mind that is appears to be to prior generations. I think kids growing up today have a different agenda and a different lifestyle that what we ever thought about having....but then I'm sure we have a different lifestyle and agenda than what our parents had. It's not good, or bad, it's just different. Times change. And what was thought to be permanent fixture in our lives has gone the way of the buggy whip factory. My one son that is "in" Scouting is clearly not "into" Scouting...for him it is something to do when there is nothing else to do. That is his priority to set. He passed up a camping trip this weekend to go to his friend's birthday party. I can see where that might frustrate the adult leaders...but that's the way it is.

"RE: Boy Scouts. We have some who are not very welcoming of parents who want to become a Boy Scout Leader or merit badge counselor. I was shocked to witness this recently. Since when do we ever turn away help?" Yep, sounds right. If you were never a Scout, you'll get shown the door pretty quick, usually by the old-fart with the most white hair.

I took my "passing knives" lesson in the meat packing plant many years ago. The knives there were the sharpest I've ever encountered. We'd steel them 2 or 3 times and hour, just to stay productive. The were so sharp, most of the time you would see the blood long before you would feel the cut. The preferred method was to table the knife with the handle facing the receiver, sharp edge to the table lip. If passed hand-to-hand, it would be handle first, back of blade to the givers hand.

It would be nice if you'd teach the proper way to use a knife....especially in a food preparation setting. I watched my son try to "whittle" an apple this past weekend. Remarkably, all of his work went into the sink. When I tried to show him a more productive way to slice an apple...he complained that "it wasn't the way he was told in Scouts." So I guess he'll go hungry in those survival situations.

Wow... I really feel your pain. I would never do that to my Scout...and one responder is right. This opens the door for your parents to push you any way they want, and parents will do exactly that, once they see it works...its an easy cop-out way of parenting. Say you pick a college/career path they don't like ... will they withhold helping you pay for college if you don't change your college major or career idea? What will you do then? Are you willing to work at a job for the next 40 years that you actually hate, because that is what your parents wanted? The reality is the Eagle isn't nearly the big deal that most parents (and lifetime Scouters) put on it. I'd never met one who admitted to it until my son got involved in Scouting. Although now that I've met a few, I am pretty good at spotting them in the crowd. It's really an unusable, unrecognized award that can just as easily go against you on a job interview or application as it can help you. (Read: Don't tell that LGBT manager about your Eagle badge, unless you don't want the job.) Unfortunately, with Eagle-crazed parents, they are liable to go completely nutso if you dig your heels in. So you have to decide what is more important to you...your self-respect or pleasing your parents and keeping the peace, even though you may hate yourself in the end. Incidentally, my son is 16 and I doubt if he'll even make Life....just like to camp a couple times a year.

If he's really that good ... give him yours. He'd treasure it far more that one bought for him ... and you can go to the Scout store and replace yours.

Good for him.. Personally, I've divided on whether I was just 4 more years of Obama or the potential for 8 years of Romney. All things balanced, I'm leaning for Obama.

Ask me if I care what you think PS. I find is ironically humorous that this great organization that's supposed to create great men...doesn't do squat to deal with everyday responsibilities. But I'm not surprised...BSA is too busy teaching faith-based intolerance. Scouting is a waste of time and my resources.(This message has been edited by Engineer61)

Wow...now 11 cars of ethanol derail in the center of Columbus.

The various type of "Magic" stuff is banned from my house! Took me hours to get that crap off the inside of my dryer ... and good amount of time on the patio to air out my lungs. (Temp was set to high by accident.) BTW, Goof-off will remove it. Goo-gone was a mixed result. If Mom wants badges on the shirt...Mom can sew them on.

The problem is universal. Like the kid that shows up with a 64 oz soda to play a 2 1/2 baseball game in 100+ heat. Can't pump the water in fast enough by the 3rd inning. Some parents don't get it. Kids definitely don't get it....don't care what you tell them. In the Scout case, you may have some blackmail going on....parents want Johnny to get Eagle. Johnny's could care less, but has learned that he can get away with stuff...just to make the hassle easier to swallow.

Hmmm...back to a thought on the OP. By giving the boy a pass....maybe you just enabled the next Jerry Sandusky, eh? Yah never know.(This message has been edited by Engineer61)

After nearly 7 months, Scout found his tent! When they unloaded the troop trailer at Summer Camp, low an behold, there it was. Only told him to check there on each of the last three trips. Only had to tell him 4 times to put his gear back on the garage shelf. Last time under threat of just tossing in the dumpster. Was the "parenting" or "policing"? I get so confused.

Good for them!