Stosh

Every boy needs to be evaluated as to their readiness for Boy Scouts. Some boys are ready and their parents are not. Some parents are ready and the boys are not. Sometimes they go into Boy Scouts for all the wrong reasons, (father/son bonding, dad was Eagle, etc. So, that's been going on for 50 years, but I think that with the current crop of boys, they tend to spend more time on the sofa, in sports, etc., etc., than before and the desire, maturity, experience of the boys just isn't there as much as it once was. I wasn't trying to rile anyone up, but I do think the Cub program doesn't really do much, especially at the Webelos level to facilitate the transition into a more mature, outdoor, character building program it once was. Either one is going to need to change one or the other.... or both to accommodate the cultural change in America. If Boy Scouts is not going to be the premier program in this area, not to worry, there are others out there that can pick up the slack, I am seeing it more and more recently.

With the big push for family events in Cub Scouts, one is going to see an increasingly difficult transition process into Boy Scouts. When we get to the day when we have to tell our Cub Scout parents that their child is too immature for Boy Scouts because he can't sleep in a then with anyone other than a parent, things won't bode well for Boy Scouts.

Considering wearing the uniform at Scouts is optional, it should be the same at school.

Visit other troops at camp and find out what they do in scouting. Great resource for learning about new ideas. I visited a group of older boys once that "didn't do anything" but sit around the campfire all week long at summer camp and hang out. I asked them about it. They were all Eagle scouts that had come up from Tigers together. They had just all graduated from high school and this was their last opportunity to hang out before all going their separate ways in life. I spent the whole afternoon with those 8 boys...... It wasn't my memory lane, but it was a very interesting road to travel nonetheless.

If one were to slip a small notebook into the pocket before hand, it makes it quite easy to sew patches onto pockets.

I had a friend whose house burned down. Of course the whole family was shocked, but the one comment made by the mother has always stuck with me over the years. She said "All those things that reminded me of who I am are gone." My wife makes fun of me because I tend to be a hoarder. I have the candy jar of my great aunt that when I visited was always full. It's sitting with candy my grandchildren enjoy on a shelf not more than 5 feet from where I am right now. I have "junk" from scouts that tell me of what I have done over the years. I was out hunting just yesterday and carried my pull rope, skinning knife, water, extra clothes, etc, in a BSA Yucca Pack that had my name and troop number on it. It was the pack I used in scouting and still use today. It is but one of many pieces of what most people would call junk, I just know it as those things that tell me who I am and what I have done for those around me and what they have done for me. If that pack wasn't there yesterday, would I have spent the afternoon in the woods thinking about my experiences in scouting while I waited for deer? Probably not.

Maybe there should be BSA training for unit treasurer's instead of the variety of differing opinions floating around the internet.

The best part of the opportunity is..... wait for it...... nobody ever says, "We've never done it that way before!" AND THAT IS THE BEST PART!

Hmmmm, me thinks you don't like the pocket either. Usually the MP3 player has a wire running out of the pocket for the ear plugs. Otherwise I just assume the lump there is the boy's cigarettes.

If money is raised from the public through a charitable donation to the unit, it belongs to the CO because they hold the legal right to charitable fundraising. However, if parents provide money for their child to attend an activity, this pays the cost of that child's participation and is not recorded as a charitable donation to the CO and is not, therefore, their money. I do believe this is the distinction that @@fred johnson is trying to make. On the other hand, monies raised under the assumption of a charitable donation, should not be going to individual scouts' benefit. Charitable donations are for the organization holding the tax exemption rights. A scout who "earns" money/monetary benefit through his own efforts should be reporting this as personal income. People can not make a charitable donation to an individual who does not hold a legal tax-exempt status/permit to do so. However, if a parent makes installment payments to the unit to cover the cost of an activity, it is still the parent's money being held in trust so that such payments can be made at a more convenient time for the troop and should not be counted as a CO donation.

That episode of F Troop was a classic. When asked who they were, they responded, "We're the Heckawee." That's probably the only line from that show I remember. I can see why it would rile a few indigenous people.

In general I do promote adult activities and/or learning opportunities for the them. Last summer camp I made a rocket stove and did all my cooking for the week on it. I was up and running with coffee long before the boys even got up and made a fire for breakfast cooking. We (adults) played with it all week long and figured out how to make the best use of it as something we might do as a patrol learning opportunity for the older boys. Every other year we as adults all re-do the YPT, Safety Swim, Safety Afloat, SM fundamentals, etc. training the camp provides. I find that keeping the adults busy keeps them out of the boys' hair for the week.

I can see asking the question: Will you continue to wear the uniform? meaning do you intend to stay with the unit until aging out and/or continue with scouting as an adult. To me that would be a valid question, but to ask whether they will wear it at school? Well, they don't do that now, why would they start?

I always figure that if they think something is wrong with the way I do things, they are more than welcome to take over for me. I've never had anyone take me up on it though, so I don't know how that works other than they quit complaining.

You are where I was 4 years ago. I had 1 boy to start with and so you have a nice head start. Biggest problem is the lack of leadership of older boys which means you will need to focus on developing a solid basis for leadership at an age that most people tell you it can't be done. Don't listen to them, it can be done. Treat the boys like they are 14 year olds and let them step up to the plate, They can and will do it.

Nope, sorry, it's not something we have ever looked into. You might want to look into local museums and the local library that might have some special programming possibilities.

Welcome to the forum! I haven't been in Cubs, but what you do sounds pretty close to a part of what we do with patrols. If patrols want money for events, equipment, etc. they can get out and raise money. We do ask that the patrols contribute half of what they make for the troop to purchase troop equipment, which is very little, but that money goes to registrations, camperships, gasoline for drivers, etc. and expenses that might affect a boy who's situation requires more than what a patrol can do for him. It is our policy that all the boys only have to pay $50 for summer camp and that's a large portion of the troop's half of the funds.

Yes for Cubs and yes for Boys too. We met right after school and either you wore the uniform to school or you dragged another set of clothes to deal with. It was easier to wear the uniform.

I guess I run things a little differently. I support the boys and lead by example ("Take care of your boys.") It's no big deal for me to give the CC the heads up that a boy has finished his rank requirements except for his BOR. The CC then does the followup with the boy to make sure everyone's on the same page.

We don't have a "patrol", just an adult area. We do our own cooking and camping separate from the boys. Only PL's can come into the adult area if requested and have permission. There's a little concern with the father/son's wanting a bonding time, but we figure that if they're not doing that at home, they don't need to be hanging out together at campouts. It is stressed that the adults are there to assist all the boys when needed, otherwise they keep to themselves.

Since requiring the boy to request a BOR is adding to the requirement, we don't do it.

At least when one got sent to the principle's office, there was a human being to deal with...maybe your parents, too, if they were called in. I know of no one who was ever expelled during my 4 years of high school, but the principle's office door was pretty much a revolving door. P. S. unknown to us all, our principle was 101st Airborne who parachuted into France on D-Day. Had we known, we might have behaved better in school.

50 years ago when I was in scouts, the uniform was always worn at school on the day of the meeting. No one thought anything about it. Now it's a chore to get them to wear it during a meeting.

I have never seen an MP3 player in one of those pockets....

When I was in the ministry, it was always Pastor S---. Even though I am an ordained minister, I call my pastor "Pastor" at all times. That is usually dropped to first name among peers, but to show respect for his parishioners, it's always by title. In my troop EVERYONE is called by Mr. or Ms. Lastname. The boys, when they are together, use the first name only, but in the meetings when adults are present, it's always by title. Mr. Jones, the patrol leader is referred to by his POR, Patrol Leader Jones, etc. When I first started as SM in the one troop where my Eagle was, he would call me by my first name. I always referred to him by Mr. ___ Eventually he started calling me by Mr. S----. When he turned 18, I let him know he could call me by my first name now that he was an adult. He said he could never do that, and to this day he refers to me as Mr. S----.