Jeffrey H

I served as a CM for 2.5 very active years. It was fun, but I needed to step away and transition out earlier than I had originally planned. I gave 3 month notice to the Pack. I let the Pack Committee and Pack leadership know of my resignation date and how I could help with a transition of leadership. Fortunately, our Assistant Cubmaster was more than happy to step up and the transition went pretty smoothly. That said, if no one had been willing to step-up and take my place, I was going to have to leave anyway. Those that were considered good candidates for CM were approached individually which is the best approach. We did not do a general "who would like to do it" invitation.

I could not have devoted my time as Cubmaster without the loving support of my wife. She was not registered with the Pack, not on the Pack committee, but she morally supported me. It is critical to have that support if you care about your marriage. Awards are nice, but make sure that you take her on a very nice date(s). Spend your money and time on her.

Had a similar experience in my Pack. Eagle Scouts that sign-up as leaders are no guarantee of good performance.

We use PackMaster (Cub Scout version of Troopmaster) and it does a good job. No complaints.

Did not know the commitee guidebook had such low expectations of an outdoor program.

Agree with others. The uniform requirement "while traveling so you can be insured by the BSA" is a myth that appears to have no end in sight. The uniform is not required to a member of the BSA or participate in BSA activities, therefore members out-of-uniform will receive BSA insurance coverage. We wear the uniform to proudly identify ourselves as members of the BSA, but that's about it. Whatever your Pack decides to do regarding the uniform is up to your Pack. Have a great outing!

Our council provides scholarships for camps, registrations fees, and uniforms based on financial need. Scholarhsip forms are filled out confidentially by families and submitted to the council office. Direct financial assistance from our Pack is done on a confidential case-by-case basis. These are rare occurrences since families can pay for most of the cost of the Pack through participation in our annual fundraiser.

Viewing the video, I would say they were having quite a "joy ride." Safety for the kids? Yea, right. Two lessons here: 1) Don't break the law and respect nature. 2) If you can't follow #1, remember that everyone has a video camera on their cell phones and they can feed it to social media pretty quick.

I prefer open water with a course. It's easier to "fudge" the rules in a swimming pool so it should a last resort for a mile swim. If using a pool, judging should be diligent (i.e., no touching the bottom, no touching the sides). I agree that making the turns at every end of the pool is tiring because momentun is lost and has to be re-gained which makes it an equalizing factor. As a last resort, swimming pools are sometimes needed in some areas because of low lake levels that occur during extended periods of summer drought. Extended periods of drought sometimes bring harmful bacteria that forms in the lakes and warnings are issued to avoid swimming. .

The age of the cub scout has first priority when determing what den he should placed in. If he is held back a grade in school, he should not be held back in scouts. He moves on with his peers as he becomes a year older. A good guideline is this: When they become 9 years old before school starts by September 1st, they should be starting in a Webelos Den.

Trail Life will work out just fine and be great for some folks. It will grow but will likely remain small compared to the BSA. The BSA, on the other hand, has it's own issues and bloated professional bureauracy that takes the joy out of doing volunteer work. I will not miss FOS campaigns and always wondering why the money is being wasted.

This happened to us a few years ago and were concerned that we would have a gap. The next year, quite a few 2nd grade boys joined up and filled the gap and one of the dads volunteered to be the den leader. Long story short, the gap closed. As long as you emphasize good recruiting each year, you should be fine. As others have mentioned, occassionaly we will have Tiger recruits that will drop out withing a few weeks because their parents cannot be Tiger Partners and be at every meeting and event.

You really only need to know a few knots for camping and backpacking: Square, double half-hitch, taut-line, overhand, etc. The ones I use the most are the ones I remember. I keep a field manual with me for the ones I use rarely. The same with scouts - If they go camping frequently, they will get it through practice. If they are parlor scouts, they will forget. Self-reliance in the outdoors is a major mark of a Scout and knowing knots are essential to that end.