AnnLaurelB

Boy oh boy oh boy! This is a touchy topic! Last year as the Tiger leader, we just went along with what the Pack did, and at that time we had a brand new CM (which I am, this year). He had never been in Scouts at all, and when the District announced the Invitational, he assumed we needed to do it. We sucked. Oh. My. Gawd. Did we suck! And it was huge and overwhelming and not very fun. Fast forward to me being the Cubmaster, and our Pack Derby was SOOO much fun! We had a blast. But then it didn't occur to me (just sort of copying the previous CM) that we didn't HAVE TO go to District Derby. No one wanted to drive all the way out to the race site the night before, then go all the way back in the morning, so that former CM and I took ALL the cars to turn in. Yeah, our scale is OFF. WAY OFF! We were there for freakin' HOURS trying to get 12 cars to weigh in. It was HORRIFYING. I wanted to cry. The District coordinator asked, "Why did you bring them ALL?" "Because the parents didn't want to drive out here." She put her arm around my shoulder and said, "So what? Then their kids don't race their cars. May I suggest that you simply OFFER the District race next year? Whomever wants to come...delivers AND ADJUSTS their OWN car. This is not your job. Your job is to stand up there and make it sound fun. The ones who WANT to race their cars against the District will come. The others...won't." (And we sucked at that race too. Worse than last year. No fun.) I can't tell you how liberating her words were! I emailed the Committee that night and said, "Next year, we are just going to make HUGE FUN SPECTACULAR event out of our own little Pack race, and THAT'S IT!" Our Pack race was great! We have a really, REALLY nice track that an Eagle made as a project like 7 or 8 years ago. It's spiffy! I had medals and certificates and design judges. It was a ton of fun! (One of the Committee members made a face when I told him we were boiling the hot dogs in the church kitchen. He said, "That's gross. I'll bring a Weber and grill them for you outside. It was one of the few times a Committee member has HELPED!)

Good point. And they get along fine. I've recently mentioned to them that we need to sit down and chat soon about the boy's advancements before our "year" is up at the end of May. That may be the time to say, "Look. You're already DOING it." One parent *can't* be the DL; he is the deposed CM who had so many personal issues that the Committee removed him (which is why I have the job. But I like the job. I'm not giving it back! ;0) ) They WANT him involved as a parent, because it's not his son's fault the guy's messed up, and he's now on the Committee (non-voting) as the Events Chair. But he can't be a Den leader. The other parent is a very timid single mom; when she asked "Who's the Bear leader", and I waggled my eyebrows at her, she about had a stroke. "Oh, NO! No, nononano! No way!" BUT! In light of "Hey, you're already leading YOUR Bear!" and the prospect of having to share a Den with the terrorist, she might yet come around!!

I'm not sure you're finding out that you're "wrong"! :0) I think each Pack/Troop is going to operate how/with what works for them. A Pack in the middle of New York City, for example, is going to do ceremonies (especially outdoor stuff) differently than we do here in Georgia. I'm getting ready to bridge two Web2's to our Troop. This hasn't happened in at least 5 years (long story). The Scoutmaster is a great guy, but he's NOT going to give the mama's of these two boys what they want to see by way of ceremony. So it falls to ME to provide a meaningful ceremony to recognize these two young men. And I'm okay with that. We do what works! I found one ceremony that talks about "two campfires". And if you can't do it outside, they recommend "fake" fire rings. I'm like, where would I even FIND such a thing, and who would pay for it? In our situation, I simply drove 3/4 of a block from the church (where we usually meet) to my house, walked around my back yard, and said, "Yeah, this will do." I'm going to dig two fire pits in my back yard, one smaller for the Cubbies, and one somewhat larger for the Scouts. Because I CAN. When I lived in CA, that would have violated all kinds of CC&Rs of my HOA (may they all rot in hell). But here? Yessiree! We can haul in some folding chairs and have our Bridging ceremony right there as the sun goes down over my pecan trees. There will be weeping by the mamas. And then we'll roast things in the fires.

(*weeps softly into coffee mug*) I want a Den Chief! :0) I asked our Scoutmaster about that; he laughed and said, "I only have 3 boys. I'm hoping you'll BRIDGE me some more Boy Scouts SOON, and then I'll have Den Chief for you!" When I was the Tiger leader last year, one of the boys (who since moved away) had an older brother who was a Web1 in a different Pack (he went with his dad in dad's town, the Tiger came with mom in our town). I'm sure it didn't count for anything official for him, but when his mom had to bring him along to Tiger meetings, I treated him like a DC, and he was wonderful!

The Web1/Web2 separate Den thing is a good point; the issue is going to have to be up to the Bear parents, isn't it? I have asked both parents if they would be Den leader (keeping in mind that they have NOT had one ALL year, and have both been doing their Requirements at home) and they both flatly refuse. Their choice, then, when their boys go into Webs is to either continue what they're doing, with NO Den (unless we get more Web1's from recruiting), make their own Web1 Den and one of them be Leader, or... go into a Den with the terrorist. I will put it to the two Bear parents that it's their choice. Make a Web1 Den, or join the terrorist. Frankly, I think they should just team up and be Web1's together. But if neither of them wants to lead the Den, then that's their option. Part of what's helpful from your comments is that I think a lot (not all) of my parents are looking at me like, "What are YOU going to provide here?" Oh, they're all very nice, but I think since their NAMES aren't on stuff, and they don't have a spiffy uniform shirt, that it's not their burden. But you've reminded me that it's THEIR program; I'm just here to M.C. the thing and hand out road maps from time to time.

*sigh* I know. IknowIknowIknow. (Our Pack has 13 boys right now; 2 Web2's will age out in May.) As a PARENT, he's the kid who I'd tell my son, "NO, HE CAN'T PLAY IN THE HOUSE!" and if he was outside, I'd make sure I found some outside work to do while he's around. The first summer we were in this house, EVERY time he was here (even outside), he would break something of my son's. His water wiggle thing, his Nerf gun, his TREE SWING for Pete's sake (who can break a tree swing?!?). He IS a "holy terror"! That summer we came to where I told him he wasn't welcome at my house without his grandma to watch him. Then we joined Cub Scouts. I was just the Tiger leader (and asked "What grade is he in?" before I agreed) and luckily he's two years older than my son (although you can't tell). So I didn't see him except at Pack meetings. I just had my cute little Tigers. And I wasn't in charge of the Pack activities, so I didn't have to discipline him. We just tolerated him from afar. But now as the Cubmaster, it's DEFINITELY my job to set the tone and atmosphere of the gatherings. One of the challenges the ex-CM faced was that he could NOT deal with this kid, and every event was the CM bellowing at the terrorist. It was not fun (but the other part of his challenge was... he's not fun. He's a logistics guy, not an entertainer.) ANYWAY, I struggle to maintain the fun over here on the left hand, and discipline this kid over on the right hand, out of the spotlight, if that makes sense. "Ok! Each Den take 2 minutes to work on that, and I'll check back on you! Go!" (Go snarl at terrorist, come back). I AM afraid that people will leave. I feel like I have the personality to convince parents to join, but one or two times around this other kid, and they'll quit. One AWESOME Den leader and his sweet son left already. I'm afraid of my two Bears not coming back because they don't want to share his den. I guess I've known all along that he would have to be dealt with. I do like the term "terrorist"; that's essentially what he is. He causes everyone to just WAIT for the next explosion of tantrum. I felt like because Cub Scouts is a teaching forum, that we sort of HAD to accept him. Mind you, the fact that we're chartered by a church, and I'm a member of that church, and they consider the Scouts and "outreach ministry", it makes it harder to say, "We can't have this kid here." The church sees it as "Oh, we must help the poor little lamb!" And none of the Committee have kids in the Pack, so they don't know how bad he is. But hey don't call it "Cub...Master" for no reason. (Grammar police, there?) I need to call the shots, not him. You're all correct. I guess I just needed permission to do my job. :0) Now I just need back-up within the Committee (and I'll go to my Commissioner, if I have to) to uphold the standards. I'm going to think about which Committee member might go with me to talk to grandma. We only have 2 more Pack meetings this season. I think I'll try to meet with her within the planning for the next season in August. Thanks, everyone!

And you know what? I KNEW that. SHOULD have known that. I grew up in the church (not this one, but) and I learned long ago that to announce a need from the pulpit gets you nowhere. No, the only way to get people to pitch in is to look them in the eye and be specific about what you'd like them to do, why it needs doing, and how you think they'd be good at it. I KNEW that. What was funny is that at the last Committee meeting, after the email went out, this one guy showed up, saying, "You still need help with Cub Scouts?" He literally lives in his mama's basement, and can't work because he's "emotionally handicapped" (his words), and has been known to disrupt the worship service with ...shall we say he's just ...an inappropriate choice to work with our children? The Committee all started sort of humming, clearing throats, and I said, "That's great! I can always use help setting up the chairs and stuff the day before events, and before camping trips, we need someone to get them down out of the loft and check the sealtite on the seams!" I'm not sure that's what he had in mind. Bwahahahah! But hey. Somebody needs to check the tents, right?!? You're all right--I/the Committee need to identify possibles, and talk to them directly.

Wise words. I think I'll have to implement this before the next Scouting season starts. Thanks for all of your input!

Ooooh! I-I-I want a ScoutParent Coordinator. Jealous!! :0) That's a great idea; I'll keep that in mind as we find folks to fill spots! That job needs to be one of them!

I understand the candle concept, and that's not bad. We wouldn't be prohibited from having a candle, but ALL of the boys are frustrated by the one kid. If HE caused it to be blown out over and over and over, I'd be worried that they'd gang up on him. I've typed up a behavior contract to present to him and his grandmother. I'm trying to think up unique widgets to give out.

I just had a CMgasm. BWAHahahahah! See, I'd ASK the Committee these things, but they *don't know*. They're just nice folks who agreed to let their names be put down for the Charter. I emailed my Commissioner and told him the idea about the behavior widgets. I'm awaiting his reply, but I think it's a FAB idea! If he keeps his widgets, he'll earn some treat. And to make it fair, I'll have similar widgets for the other boys. But HE needs to know that HIS widgets are more serious. "You lose your widgets, you're goin' home." Oh, and putting his hands on another Scout is INSTANT loss of ALL widgets. I just like saying widgets. And CMgasm. I made up a word! :0) Thanks for your input! This helps tremendously. I'm gonna go to the Committee (such as it is) and tell them what's what. They don't want to get their hands dirty, anyway, so they'll back me up. They all know the boy. I WANT him to succeed, but not at the cost of making everyone miserable.

Yeah, a percentage of the parents just sit at the waaay back of the room. I HAVE had to say, "I need an adult over here, please." And they do come. (They're probably trying to stay away from the obnoxious kid). We meet in a church hall; the stuff's already set up in such a way that people CAN be really far back. When I have TIME, I do away with all but the very front chairs, just enough for everyone, but it forces the parents to sit up with their kids. To the grandmother's credit, she DOES stay on him, but the *BICKERING* and *WHINING* and *FIGHTING* is still distracting. I did have the brain-light on our camp out to put something in their pockets, and every time they're bad, take one out of their pockets. Whomever has the most "widgets" at the end of the night gets something. If you run out of them, you clean toilets or something. But the problem kid would RUN AWAY and refuse to gimme his widgets. I guarandangtee you. They really, really do need counseling, and the Children's Minister (the Chair we're losing) has tried to help them, but... y'know. One does one's best. I guess I could KEEP his widgets on my person if he gave me a hard time. Oooooh! Or give grandma his widgets. Make HER walk one to me every time he was bad. Here's the big question: AS THE CUBMASTER in charge of an event, DO I, at that moment, have the authority to SEND HIM HOME if he strikes another child? Grandma *threatens* it all the time. "Get UP or we're going home. Stop running, or we're going home. Stop yelling or we're going home." I have not wanted to overstep my bounds, but can I SAY, "Just...go." (name that commercial!) If I have that authority, I'll make him up 3 or 4 little Behavior Widget of some kind, and knock them off one at a time, and when they're gone, grandma just takes him home. (Of course, I would have a meeting with them ahead of time to tell them what's happening.) That may be the only thing that he understands.

No, I meant that I printed up little invites for the BOYS to give out at school! :0) We JUST started Indiv Cub Accts after this past popcorn sale. We had 10 registered cubs; we sold $1050 worth of popcorn. Please hold your applause. And now we're selling the Camp Cards, so my Commissioner suggested we keep track of each boy's portion toward camp in an ICA system (which is a photcopied check register, basically, for each kid). They can use the money if they want to pay up their dues, or if I say, "We're going bowling for BeltLoops! Bring $7!" They can use the money for that. We just got Pack t-shirts; if they had money in there they could choose to pay for a shirt with it. It's a good system! My Wolf parents are 4 single moms and one mom/dad. The dad is awesome, and helps when he can, but he works crazy hours and can't make a lot of the meetings. Two of the moms speak Spanish and are very timid. One mom doesn't have the personality for it...the last mom MAYBE. Her son JUST signed up a few weeks ago. I don't know her well, yet. We'll see. Our Rep is still with us--the Exec is going to try to get him to fill in as Chair. I think y'all have pretty much answered the question--the answer is to focus on recruiting KIDS, not adults!! The summer calendar I put together isn't too onerous; it's more like every 2 1/2 - 3 weeks. I'm really using stuff that I'd be doing, anyway. (CM's privilege!). I live across the street from a park that does Concerts in the Park. I'm inviting the Pack to picnic in my front yard one Friday night. I'm going on vacation in July. Happens to be a water park nearby. Happens that I always take my son there. Happens that I put it on the Pack calendar for whomever wants to show up. No planning necessary. :0) Free Kid Fishing Day at the Fairgrounds? I'd take my son, anyway. PUT IT ON THE CALENDAR! :0) See? I just banged off copies of the flyer, handed them out, and said, "Be there if you want to!" My son's birthday is in August. I booked the pavillion at the swimming hole. It just so happens that I put THAT on the Pack calendar. "SWIMMING HOLE AND JT'S BIRTHDAY!" So that part's easy. I'm really loving the idea of telling them, "Parent/Leader meeting, 6:00 every 3rd Wed at Burger King!" I think that's the key! PARENT MEETINGS (not "committee") and recruiting. I can make stuff fun! That's what I'm good at. But then I need people to pick up from there and do the legwork.

I did get a parent to run the popcorn sale, but then she had to go and have a baby, so that was her last input. Dumb baby! (just kidding. she's wonderful!) I organized PineWood and B&G, but delegated most of the tasks. I'm BALOO trained, as is the former CM-cum-EventsChair. I don't mind being the BALOO tag on campouts. But you're right--there should be more, so in case I can't go, or have to leave. Our school is on break this week, but next week, I'll approach the principal about a spring recruiting night. I think you're right about focusing on bringing more boys in. If their parents WANT the program, they'll pitch in. We do have a treasurer on the Committee, but I need a parent to keep the Individual Scout Accounts. I did speak to our Scout Exec about this, and we did talk about how funny that this whole time, the Committee was made up of entirely people who have NO CUB SCOUTS. The Chair was an old lady, and the 4 members-at-large are just men from the church whose kids are all grown. The parents have been bringing their kids to a program over which they, the parents, have NO input! How ironic is that?!? So yes! I love the idea of changing the model and calling them Planning Meetings or Leader/Parent Meetings or Parent Input Meetings or SOMETHING! That word "Committee" makes people run screaming!

Forgot to add that I did email my Commissioner and my Executive. Both about the discipline problem, and our Committee being hobbled. My Exec is setting up a meeting with the UberCommissioner (whomever is over MY UC) and our Rep. My Commissioner is "mulling over" what he thinks I should do about the discipline problem. So at least I'm not bailing out this barge on my own!

Thanks for your replies. We are sort of holding on by some threads; it was especially touch-and-go last year when the CM had to step down due to personal issues. They asked me to step in, but I was happy as a little clam just being the Tiger leader. Then the year changed over and the Bear leader and his son quit--he would have been the Webelos leader. So the grandma stepped in. Her (dreadful) kid was the ONLY Web at all until the fall recruiting night, where we got TWO 5th grade Webs. So she's led those two guys through Web2, and they're bridging. I absolutely agree that she could use a break from the kid. I know he's alienated every family in the neighborhood. So you're probably right about folks knowing he's not an "innocent." I suspect she might be clinging to Cub Scouts in order JUST TO BE AROUND PEOPLE. She's a little hard to take, herself. My mother would have said of her, "She...lacks social skills." I've been in the middle of the Cubmaster Minute, or other times when I should have the floor exclusively, and she'll burst out, "YOU WANT ME TO GO POUR THAT KOOL-AID NOW? 'CUZ THEY'RE GONNA BE THRISTY. HOW MUCH LONGER YOU GONNA BE...." I've taken to just repeating quietly, "Pat, I need to talk right now. Pat, I need to talk right now. Pat, I need to..." She and the boy have also ridden their bikes over to MY house during WOLF meetings, which I have the largest Den (6 boys) and want to talk to me about Pack stuff. I've had to firmly say, "I need this time to be for the Wolves, or we're not going to finish our projects. Your Den time is tomorrow night. I'll help you then, if you like. Anyway, my point is that she's somewhat of a discipline problem, herself. NICE AS CAN BE, she is! But lacks social skills and knowledge of common courtesies. (On a side note, the deposed CM still has a kid in the Pack of course, and and he's also bad about chattering loudly while I'm trying to speak. In his case, I think it's a subconscious passive-aggressive thing). But I've had to announce that the next ADULT who disrupts our lesson will owe me a dollar!)

No one asks her to do anything; she's just ...helpful, and enthusiastic, and involved. But her ONLY actual responsibility is the Webelos den. I'm really hoping some more Webs will join from recruiting night, because the Web2's are aging out, and my 2 Bears will share this kid's Den next season. The two Bear parents DECLINE absolutely to be Den leaders. They just wanna show up. Which is fine, but they'll have to show up to a Den with this kid in it. What really needs to happen is she needs a parenting course. But I can't force someone to do that.

Are you tired of me yet? I scanned the Cub Scout topics, and I don't see one about discipline, but I hope I haven't duplicated a thread. We have one kid who makes everyone else MISERABLE. The problem is that his mom (actually his grandmother who's raising him) is the Webelo's leader (the boy is a Web1, about to be Web2), and she does TONS for the Pack. She's always there every time the doors are open, but... so is her kid. He's HORRIBLE! (When we moved into the neighborhood, he found my son the first weekend, and my son invited him to his playhouse out back. The other boy had a bag on his bike--turned out it was MARKERS. My son came to get me, and when I went out there, the kid had WRITTEN ALL OVER THE WALLS, FLOOR, AND CEILING OF OUR PLAYHOUSE!) Who does that at a house of people you JUST met?!? Anyway, fast forward to school starting, signing up for Cub Scouts, and guess who's in our Pack? When they asked me if I'd be the Tiger leader, I asked, "What grade is the marker kid in?" He's two years older, so we won't ever share a Den. I feel really bad for the kid, awful as he is. He's on meds, he's a crack baby, his mother abandoned him, his grandfather curses him, he has not friends, he gets sent home from school all the time, etc, etc... THIS kid NEEDS Scouting! But...he LITERALLY makes everyone around him absolutely miserable. EVERY outing is an ordeal. EVERY Pack meeting I have to separate him (but that often means separating his grandmother WITH him, which means the other Webs are leaderless). Last year, the Bear Den leader, after being in Den with this kid, the father and son quit and went to another Pack because of him. It was a real loss; he was the best Den leader I can imagine, and I was looking forward to my son sharing a Web den with his son later. ANYWAY, this kid is a CONSTANT (and I mean *CONSTANT*) behavior problem. Redirect, redirect, threaten, time out, lecture, warn, redirect again, time out again, UGH! On our camping trip, the kid next to him slopped his cocoa, and he (the issue kid) was asked to move over a little. His response? To DUMP HIS COCOA ON HIS OWN HEAD. The kid ain't right. But I have tried and tried to mitigate his effect on the other Scouts because I really, really don't like the idea of kicking a little boy out of Cub Scouts...especially in a small town where everyone is all up in everyone's business. What would get around is that that Mean Methodist Church Cub Scout Pack sent a poor little motherless boy packing. Nevermind how poorly behaved he is. I'd like to invest in trying to help the kid, but at what point does being understanding and supportive of a kid with obvious problems get overridden by the best interests of the Pack? Suggestions?

"Parent Committee"! I love that! I also like the phrasing of "changing the model", as it would relate to me presenting the idea of a "Parent Committee" to the parents. If I could get enough regularly attending parents to REGISTER as Committee members, then the poor schlubs who we're torturing just so we have enough Committee members could be put out of their misery. As long as we keep our Rep/Liason from the church (charter org), we'd still have our Advancement Chair (he loves it), and our Events guy (the one other parent on the Com). I do like the idea of announcing that we're "changing the model", and they need to participate...the sticky wicket will be GETTING them there! We don't have a Starbucks. Nor a Denny's. Nor even a Taco Bell. (Helloooooo rural area!) But we have a McDonald's. OMG! We have a BURGER KING with a PLAYGROUND! Sweet Winged Michael! That could be the answer! They could throw their kids outside together during Committee meetings. We may be on to something...keep talking... ;0)

Oh, they're artful, alright! :0) They're a nice bunch of folks, just really busy, and as you say, really good at getting out of "Hey, could you _____?" I do have high hopes for a recruiting night, soon! I'm going to be honest and say, "Cub Scouting is a FAMILY activity! We WILL need your input!" Someone said BSA does not stand for BabySitters of America. I don't think I have many parents like THAT (but a couple), but they simply don't want to be RESPONSIBLE for stuff. They'll show up--just say when and where. And they'll stay. And help clean up. But they don't want their NAME on a roster. I am going to have to change my tactics. :0)

Oh, and KISMIF, I don't mind planning the program, either! That's what I'm pretty good at--being the Cruise Director/Ring Master! And I only have 2 Den leaders, one of whom is 85% absent. The Webs leader and I ARE the de facto planners/executers. But someone made the point that Cubbing takes place mostly in Dens. If I can find Den leaders, they'll do the committee "work" as it were. But some people don't like being responsible for lessons and stuff. I need THOSE people on the Committee.

P.S. With regard to the Committee meetings, I DO send out an agenda before, and I DO present everything with "Oooh! I have this fun idea! What do you think??" The meetings really do roll along pretty well, and are over in no more than 60-70 minutes! So I guess that's not too bad! The guys on the Committee are pretty willing to say "Yes" to whatever I ask, as long as THEY DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING. Our money sitch is pretty good; we DO have a treasurer who keeps the account neatly. But he won't keep the Individual Scout Accounts. I have to do that myself, and report to him each month what the liability amount is for them, as a total against the balance showing in the check book. *sigh* I have a few parents that I think would be AWESOME on the Committee, but it's a matter of getting them there. On another thread, someone mentioned that you can't just CALL for volunteers. You don't know WHO might show up! But I/We are going to have to identify possible appropriate folks, and get them to look us in the eye, and ask them to do it. What does Rex say, in Toy Story? "I don't LIKE confrontation!" :0)

Thanks for all of your replies. We have 2 Tigers, 6 Wolves (mine + 5) (I lead that Den), 2 Bears, 1 Web1, and 2 Web2's who are aging out at the end of May. When my Web2's go, I'll have 11 boys, assuming they all come back after summer break. I have planned a pretty cool summer calendar, so hopefully they'll all stay involved! ScoutNut hit it on the head about the church--almost all older folks with no kids. I AM one of the ONLY "young families" there. The deposed CM and his kids go there, but the rest of the Pack all attend other churches. Our Charter Rep of course sits on the Committee, but he's also this/that/the other thing within the church. He does his best, but he's spread a bit thin. My hope is that he will at least be Chair on paper. I have passed out little colorful invites to the boys on several occasions, but we've never gotten a response from those. That doesn't mean they should stop going out sometimes, though! I'm leading the Wolves, one of the Tiger dad is registered as their leader, but he's in school, and they miss a LOT of stuff. The other Tiger I've pulled along with the Wolves so he'll advance, but the Tiger leader kid? I don't know. He just put his name down so there'd be a Den. The Bears have no leader, but those 2 are about to go Web1, anyway with the remaining Web1-becoming-Web2. They have a leader, no problem for this coming year. I'll have to follow the Wolves-to-Bear, it looks like, or my own son won't have a Den leader. Tigers-to-Wolves I don't know if that dad will be Wolf leader. I thought Den leaders *couldn't* be on the Committee. They can do the legwork, of course, but officially, they're not supposed to be, right? There's like 3 kids in the youth group, my daughter being one of them. She does help with her brother's Den sometimes, and she came camping with us last weekend. I guess in actuality we're doing okay as long as I hold up. But my concern is that as we grow (and I hope we do) it's going to be too much, and no one will step up. "Well, you were doing it alone all this time..." Most of my parents are single moms. A few families, but the dads all work ridiculous hours. They're all very sweet and come to everything that they can, but it's mostly single moms. Which is ironic because here I am the Cubmaster, and I TOOK my kid to Scouts so that he'd have MALE role models. Riiiight. Turns out no one else has any, either. But still. We're having fun. I just don't want to end up a train wreck. The founding CM guy is a sweetheart; he's made it clear that Advancements is all he wants to do (he likes to come to Pack meeting in his uniform). I don't know if I can schmooze him into being the Chair; his wife seems to resent him even doing what he does with us. But it's worth a shot. I like the idea of putting up flyers at the library, and our Exec is supposed to be working on getting me a school recruiting night. Thanks for all of your input; a lot to mull over! :0)

This might be slightly off-topic; please forgive me. But I'm new to this Cubmaster gig, and I think I have the "provide the program" part down alright... ...but someone mentioned "the Committee should handle the business side". What is meant by that, exactly? I can't get my Committee to do a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g. What business are we talking, here? They seem to assume I will do it all. I keep telling them, "I'm the party planner! I book the entertainment, and get out the invites, and make sure the guests (Scouts) have their maps (are advancing)." What SHOULD the Committee be doing? What should I not be doing?

On my "Hi, I'm new to the forums" post, someone asked me, "Are your Den leaders and Committee members doing their jobs?" BWAHahahahahah! That's why I googled "cubmaster forum" and found this site! No. No-no-na-no. They are not. The Chair just resigned (she's the Children's Minister at the Chartering church, and she's retiring). She wasn't *supposed* to be the Chair, anyway, as a staff member; she was just supposed to be a liason. But NO ONE would DO the job, so she has been the de facto Chair. But she's leaving kind of abruptly; we are without Chair. The other members are 1) the deposed Cubmaster, who had some ...personal issues... and was asked to step down as CM but remain on the Committee as a member-at-large; 2) the founding Cubmaster, who is 78 years old, and an awesome Advancements Chair, but he's very clear that that's ALL that he is going to do; 3-5) men who the church asked to put their names on the roster so they could re-gain the Charter (which the church lost for about 5 years). They're really not interested in doing any actual legwork for the Pack. In fact, each of them has been known to simply get up and walk out of Committee meetings. I don't see a new Chair rising out of the ashes, here... Part of the CM's job is to "identify possible volunteers", and I sent (what I thought was) a pretty compelling email to everyone in the church who I thought appropriate, as well as to ALL of my parents, and got NOT ONE RESPONSE. I'm going to have to hit the parents up at our next Pack meeting (the 25th), and just say, "SOMEONE has to step up!" But we're awfully small, yet, and we don't even have a Wolf or Bear leader (I lead the Wolves, too--my kid's den). We can't even get a parent to be those 2 Den leaders. How can I get them to sit on the Committee? Let me ask this question, too: WHO are your Committee members? Are they just parents? Or are they NOT supposed to be parents? HOW do you recruit Committee members??