perdidochas

Well, I'm noticing our older boys are starting to turn off to scouting. I'm going to start a Venture crew to take them away from the troop for that reason. I'd rather them be in a Venture crew and quit the troop, then just quit the troop.

Picaridin is about as effective as deet, and it doesnt' dissolve plastics.

JASM is a youth position, not an adult one. It's for 16+ year old Scouts.

My guess is that the parent Scouters don't take the younger ASMs seriously, basically thinking of them as just Scouts, and not as adult leaders.

Venturing crew and/or Assistant Scoutmaster and/or Merit Badge Counselor for Pioneering, Backpacking, Camping, etc.. The only adult position he can have is Assistant Scoutmaster, until he turns 21.

It's much more fun to have 125 lb Timmy launched by 185 lb dad :-)

Well, when my sons were little, we had a slip'n'slide in the backyard. After once using it from a standing position, I never did it again--gravity is stronger the older you get. I would however, do it from a crouch, and it was much less stressful on the body.

Pretty much equal. A lot of the boys are very used to the parents doing everything for them--they not only need to be taught the Scout skills, but work ethic. I can recall when my sons were Cub Scouts, they were stuck helping Dad set up/break down camp, while their peers were playing. Yes, at age 6 and 7, they weren't much help, but by the time they were Webelos, I could set up/break camp faster than most of the other parents--I had help. Would it have been easier when they were 6 and 7 to do it all myself--of course, but my goal wasn't ease at that time--my goal was their futures.

The above should be hard to believe (did you say scouters thought it was unfair?), but unfortunately, it is not.

Well, that is an advantage of the parents actually camping with you. They are busy doing their own thing, that they leave the boys alone. Have the parents as a patrol, and they are occupied.

If no birds used it, note that fact. It is an observation. I probably means that the location or design of the birdhouse isn't appropriate. I would say he fulfilled the requirement, and I am a Nature MBC.

Crocs are ugly, but they are also extremely comfortable and pretty lightweight. I use them as camp shoes/water crossing shoes while backpacking, and for going to the beach. I'm too old and ugly to worry about appearance.

Well, in the schools I've been in, adults are allowed to have pocket knives, etc. In a former life, I was a teacher, and used to always have a knife in my pocket (usually a leatherman of some sort). A student turned me in to the school resource officer (a sheriff's deputy who came to the school a few days a week) for it. The SRO told me about it, and said, as long as you don't stab a student with it, you can use it. My sons' school district has a rule about the accidental contraband issue. If the student turns themself in, no repercussions--the item is kept by the assistant principal until a parent picks it up. If another student turns them in for the item, it's turned over to the principal for punishment. I tell the Scouts if they find they accidentally have a pocket knife in their pocket the day after a campout. Tell an adult ASAP.

I would call them closed-toed shoes, and I wear a similar pair to scouting events quite often--including summer camp at Camp Daniel Boone in NC. Nobody has said a word. They are as protective as most running shoes, and much more comfortable.

My observation is that zero tolerance is reviled by most parents. I say this as a principal's husband, and my wife's experiences. In fact, in our local schools, the term "zero tolerance" is banned by the higher ups. Then again, this is a very conservative area, and we like liberty. Zero tolerance doesn't match conservatism.

Well said.

IMHO, this warrants taking it to the Council. Pretty much they have just derailed this boy based on something that they just told him. Now, if the facts are different, I stand by the troop, but if there was no warning prior to this, or a designated policy on what is active, the boy should take it to Council. Again, this is if the OP is describing the situation accurately.

I do think that a Scout who makes Life at 13, is active for 6 months and silent until 17 has met the requirements as written. How is that any different than that same scout who gets Eagle at 13 1/2?

It is a good course to take in your case. Do you have any outdoor experience at camping, etc?

Well, I don't see Camporee or Summer Camp as being a requirement for Eagle. What is the Troop participation policy?

Well, that's how I read it. Here are the actual rank requirements: Be active in your troop, team, crew, or ship for a period of at least six months after you have achieved the rank of Life Scout. Nothing about that says that they have to be active at the time of the EBOR or anything more than 6 months after becoming Life.

I've found the opposite to be true, but then again my sample size of Eagles under 17 in my unit is three, two of them being my sons. BOth have been actively involved, albeit not as involved as before, but that is due to competing activities, not boredom. I disagree. I think in this case (if what we have read is true, and there aren't other circumstances), it's the SM that is being disloyal to the boy. The boy is in his rights to be defiant.

Was he active for 6 months after Life?

Many units have mixed age patrols. Helps the younger scouts learn from older scouts.