perdidochas

Well, about 8 years ago or so, I was at a local OA sponsored event that had outside vendors. They sold bows. Some scouts bought the bows, and were shooting them on the lawn in front of the dining hall. They were shooting them towards the dining hall, and there were people in that area (including me). I asked them to stop, they did, but it just shows the lack of common sense sometimes present in scout aged kids. Technically, the boys were probably not allowed to use the gear at the event.

There is no such rule or restriction from National. It's just not a good idea. We had an informal rule, that pretty much all the leaders obeyed, which is, that unless it was a matter of looking up records on the computer and signing (for number of campouts, outings, etc.), leaders didn't sign things off for their own sons. Our SM didn't even have Scoutmaster conferences with his own sons (leaving that up to ASMs to do for him).

I agree with you 100%.

It depends on your particular Pack and CO. The Pack and Troop I was a leader in (and sons were in from Tiger/Wolf to Eagle) was sponsored by my Parish, a Catholic Church. I see no problems with Catholic specific prayers or Christian specific prayers at Pack/Troop events. That said, if other Troops/Packs were involved (camporee, etc.), a more vague non-Christian prayer should be used.

I can understand disagreement with goofiness, but religion (at least in the sense that BP saw Scouting as practical religion, aka good deeds, etc.) is a centerpiece of Scouting. It's why churches sponsor us, and it's why religious people like myself participated. I enjoy the scoutcraft as well, but religion (i.e. practical religion) is a centerpiece of things.

Some of my favorite moments at campouts were when my oldest was SPL, and it routinely took a round of the Announcement song to get any business done. It irritated the heck out of some of our leaders (who weren't frequent even attenders). The kids loved it. The adults cringed (but loved it as well). His last campout as SPL it must have taken five minutes before he could get to an announcement.

Different strokes for different folks. I'm not a big fan of the cornball stuff, but most of the Cubs were, including my sons. Wanting to be the person to tell the story around the fire to the Pack inspired my oldest son to research ghost stories, and since he was speech impaired, that was a big step for him.

Well, depends on the campsite. In my troop, the parents were allowed to use whatever they wanted to use for tents. The regular camping parents/leaders tended towards minimalism--backpacking tents, in my case, a hammock, or we had some under the open sky ground sleepers (in appropriate weather).

And the above is what happens when lawn mower parents become leaders. I've seen boys struggle with tents. The SPL and other older boys help them. As another poster said, I see backpacking in your future, if you have sense.

While I wish we could do this at regular BORs, I understand why it's not allowed. That said, I've been pleasantly surprised at the Eagle candidates I've worked with. Most have been pretty proficient at their knots, even the ones I thought didn't know them well.

I guess I have a different view of leadership than the man who voted no for this Scout. IMHO, if a leader isn't getting dirty working on a small scale project (like Eagle projects are), he's not using his resources (including himself) wisely.

I agree. Most adults like hats, but the Scouts don't, except for wearing knit caps in the winter.

You should be able to find a Swiss army type knife with a can opener. That or a Boy Scout standard pocket knife. Just let them use one for the whole den. They don't need to own one yet.

Exactly. My boys (who happen to both be Eagles) had a great time, both before and after they made Eagle. Fun and learning is why we should be doing Scouting. A First Class Scout should have all the skills necessary to setup a campsite--tent, kitchen, etc.--both at a car camping site and at an away from pavement site (backpacking or canoe camping), cook at that campsite, leave the campsite in at least as good shape as when he got there, and be able to take down the camp. They should be able to do this on cold days, hot days, warm days, ideal days, dry days, humid days and wet days (unless they live in an area that doesn't get all of those conditions).

The best way to achieve Eagle is to participate actively in Scouting and have fun. Camp as often as you can--camp using different methods--sleep on the ground without a roof (in good weather), use a big tent, use a backpacking tent, use a tarp, hammock camp, plop camp, canoe camp and backpack. Show up at meetings. Show other scouts how to do the skills you learned. Cook in a dutch oven. Cook on a campfire. Cook on a backpacking stove. Cook on a conventional camp stove. Hike, bike, canoe, swim, fish, climb rocks and trees, learn how to identify critters and plants. If you actively camp, advancement will follow. It's not efficient, but it works. Scouting isn't for efficiency--it's to learn by doing.

I'm not sure that anything can really be done about that at the Cub Scout level. At least locally, that's a time of change for the boys. As AOL Webelos, they are the top of the Pack. As 5th grade students, they are in the last year of elementary school. A lot of parents see that as a good time to stop, and so they don't encourage the boys. That, and being a Boy Scout is a lot more work than Webelos, at least with most parents. My observation is that boys who during Cub Scout Family camps were forced to help their parents set up a camp do better in that transition. My sons always helped out with setting up camp--even when they were Tigers/Wolves. Most of the other boys played while their parents set up camp. Yes, it probably would have been easier for me to set up camp without their "help" but I wasn't doing it for ease, I was doing it for them.

I agree totally. Scouting should be fun. It's the reason we do it. That said, the fun is the way we teach the rest. IMHO, that's the problem with most youth sports these days--they aren't fun.

CPS is the nuclear option.

On a campout, if its directly related to the Scouts, the SPL. Otherwise, the SM. My view is the SPL is the top of the organization chart.

Well, helicopters (and their friends, the lawnmowers) make things hard sometimes. I don't think there is a video, because troop expectations are so different. I do think that the SM (or New Scout/Parent coordinator) should take all of the new parents aside in the first week or two after crossover, and have a meeting to both explain how the Troop (and BSA) works, and to answer any questions they have. Some things that have to be addressed: How camping is done should be explicit (i.e. that the scouts camp by patrols, that the adults camp away from them, that permission is required (under normal, not emergency situations) for either group to enter the other group's area), also, the normal logistics of a campout--i.e. that one member of a patrol (or the whole patrol) will have to do the grocery shopping, the time we usually leave for a campout, expectations for food on that first night, etc. (Our troop meets at 5 pm Friday night and plans to pull out of the parking lot at 6 pm (usually later, but that's the goal). We expect the Scouts to either have eaten before then, or to bring food with them (no stopping for fast food, etc.) for Friday night supper. The SPL is in charge, and the parents should ASK the SPL/ASPL first (again, unless an emergency situation) before doing anything with the troop. The general advancement structure should be taught to them (especially emphasizing that advancement is the Scout's responsibility, and until the Scout has tried to deal with a problem, the parent should leave things alone, also that advancement is not a group thing, but an individual one). Money issues. (which are very specific to the troop).

Wow. IMHO, if I was a DE and got a note saying that the scouts were leading, and not the parents, I'd be congratulating the troop.

Great idea, although I might amend that. I would say that the former cub leaders should be committee members, but shouldn't be working with the boys as ASMs or SMs.

It's up to the Eagle candidate. My youngest son noticed while working on his older brother's Eagle project, that after a certain number of boys, less work got done. So, when it was his turn, he didn't try to drum up as many workers. Part of leadership is choosing your team when you are able. If you know John, Mike and Joe are hard workers, and Fred, George and Mickey aren't, why wouldn't you just want John, Mike and Joe there? Also, there is a matter of skills/age/etc. More hands isn't always quicker work, when Boy Scout aged boys are involved.

I really have no input into the Woodbadge part of the concern. I know great, mediocre, and bad Scout leaders who have gone through Woodbadge.

SM training would be good, if nothing else, it would reassure you that you know what is needed--I took it after being an ASM for two years, and didn't learn anything but it reassured me that what we were doing was correct. I do agree IOLS training would probably be useless, but the SM training would probably help you see things as an adult. Also, as a 19 year old, you need to make sure that you understand YPT better than anybody else in the room.