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I can't remember what our pack did. The troop did try to cut large families a break. Precisely for the reason @@David CO suggests. Large families contribute more to the "unit brain trust". Stories get handed down. Gear gets handed down. Scouts come wanting to do what their brothers did. Simplifies the PLC no scouter has to explain the possibilities, they boys already know. Fundraisers become nearly automatic, because the parents who support them have done so for more than a decade. In our Venturing crew, because our older siblings move on to college or war, and parents need to direct their attention elsewhere, we sorely notice the absence of that institutional memory. I find myself explaining (what I think are) the simplest things.

I think that boils down to the "individual sport" strategy. I.e., no MB classes during meetings, no working on MBs during meetings (although, I think most troops with that strategy still grant boys a few minutes to meet with their counselors by appointment during opening games or patrol break-out sessions -- for the sake of youth protection), brief conversation with the SM regarding blue cards, touch base with the librarian about pamphlets, and that's it. Activities planned for their own sake without regard to any MB that could be earned in the process. It's on the boy to connect the dots and maybe influence program toward a badge of his interest. That's basically how I had my boys operate. Mainly because every attempt at MB class during a meeting led to eyes rolling into the backs of their little heads when we got to handing out worksheets and school-type requirements. Now, having one or two boys bring in a demonstration as part of a requirement for a badge (e.g., cooking supper in the church kitchen, lighting and extinguishing grease fires in the parking lot, etc ...) ... THAT resonated very well with the rest of the boys. Completing their badge, however, was left up to each scout on his own time, and only a percentage of the boys did that. It works for us, but none of our scouts earn Eagle quickly, and their sashes aren't overly burdened with round medallions. I don't think NobodyReallySon would like our troop at first blush. @@TAHAWK, if you've experienced another way of a troop "letting a scout's interests drive what merit badge he persues" do tell. Because, the OP has a kid who's nuts about earning MBs (usually an indicator of broad interests) and they would surely like to fall in with a troop who will make that a possibility.

Fred said everything I would say about "back room dish" on other troops. How to pick? Well, he first needs to get some more data. Specifically, who decides which topics a troop will work on? If the committee has a routine schedule that covers only Eagle-required badges, then that's a no-go for your son. It sounds like he's well on his way to knocking those out with or without the troop's encouragement; therefore, what would benefit him is a troop willing to go after obscure MBs just for the fun of it. If the boys in leadership positions plan what merit-badges the entire troop does for certain meetings, that's better. Your son can give feedback, and maybe an obscure one gets on the docket. If the responsibility for MBs courses falls on the patrol, that's even better. It's far easier to get 8 guys to agree to try an obscure badge ... plus, if four patrols are going after four different badges, they might be flexible enough to swap members who might want to try a MB being considered by a different patrol. What that means is increased odds that at any given time he'll have a buddy (or eight) to work on MB's with. Now, in the end, he may see earning MBs as an individual sport. In that case, the only thing that matters is a troop full of welcoming boys who have fun during the meetings and an SM who likes signing blue cards frequently.

Welcome! (To you and your strange request.) And, thanks in advance for all you'll do for the boys. I have not seen anything of the sort. I have seen decals (for scrapbooking, etc ...). But not for windows/windshield. I don't think it's proprietary, but it may be something that folks haven't demanded. Scouts change units just enough to make marking up a car a questionable endeavor. Have you thought about crafting something with cloth numbers that might hang from a review mirror, or sit on a dashboard?

As far as our nation's code, the Senate is here for you: http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30243.pdf You mentioned the den flag. Where is the pack flag? As far as some unwritten "unit code": patrol flags usually move with the patrol leader. So, if they get posted anywhere, it would be where the boys seat themselves (on an outside aisle, so as not to obstruct the audience's view). But there should be no disrespect however you do it (e.g posted adjacent to the pack flag), as long as the other den flags are treated equally. For example, a couple of weeks ago, when the W2's visited, the patrol flags were displayed along the wall behind the US and national flags.

Good problem to have. With boys keep it simple. Hot dogs and hamburgers with condiments. Have a jar of peanut butter handy if allergies aren't a problem. Assign each den to bring.a side dish. Have a cooler for water, one for flavored drink, and one for hot cocoa. You will probably need to split up around different fire rings, if that's an option where you're camping. Lossly have dens sit up in different areas, obviously parents with boys in multiple dens can only set up the family tent in one of those areas. A call to the ranger or camp director giving them a heads up about your numbers would be in order. Breakfast is something you all have to figure out. I would only do hot stuff if the boys will be there all morning.

@@hmscouting, it's a good sign that scouts are representing. The bottom line: tell the reps that at this point, if they want to really impress the scouts, bring the lodge chief to a troop meeting or a campout where most of your boys attend.First timers need to hear it from somebody who cares.

My CO is distressed. So, they haven't even given me a COR for this year! My DE basically said, "Pick someone." Tail wags the dog. I don't like it, but there it is.

I'm not siding with the other guys, or trying to be mean or anything like that. But, once the dust settles from something like this, you'll want to pull the silk purse out of the sow's ear. So a little introspection: This, to me, would come off as extremely controlling. I want a CM who tells me and my den, "You will have 5 minutes at the pack meeting for ___. Got it?" When you find that boy scout troop for your son (which I hope you will do), there's a whole lot of going off script and (within parameters of safety) making it up as you go along. Could they use a manager like you for certain things? Most certainly. Will you need to tone it down more than you've ever done? Yep. Think of it as an organizational "trust fall" and brace yourself for occasional bruises when people let you down. But, come up laughing every time.

Contrary to popular belief, the real building period in your scouts is between ages 11-13. You really want one in eight boys aiming at PL by their third year in scouting. If your older boys pull together and form a venture patrol, that's gravy. That really only leaves room "at the top" for maybe four or five boys (SPL, ASPL, QM, JASM, TG). The rest will be drawn to other activities anyway. Our district does not have Varsity Teams, but that's because western PA sports is an efficient machine that draws our boys (and girls, speaking as a crew advisor) away from the best camping seasons. So, if a boy or two moves on, encourage him to not be a stranger. You still would like to know how he's doing. Ask him to send an invite to anything cool that he thinks the troop would like.

Welcome to the forums! The first thing you're doing right is listening to the boys. So, your older boys want to hang together. That's a positive. Being small, you can flex with that. The younger boys will now need to pull themselves together, master a few skills, and on occasion beat the older patrol at their own game. Fun fact about autumn: your new boys aren't that new anymore. And soon you get newer boys. So who gets to lead those crossovers? Well, if they are tight buddies, they might be best in pretty much their own patrol. If not, they might best be folded into existing patrols. In either case, you assign them a Troop Guide from your batch of oldest boys. He's still a member of his preferred patrol, but he is responsible for keeping tabs of this group of boys, either in coaching them to form their own patrol, or making sure they're fitting into the newest patrol. An average guide will use the advancement method as a planning tool and check boys through as they master individual skills. An excellent guide will be a true big brother to all these boys and let PL's know what's going on with them. It's like a box of chocolates, you'll never know quite what's inside until you put them to the test.

Okay, so here's a for-instance that makes me take back my previous post: That venturer I was telling you about is now having second thoughts and wondering if he should cancel his ordeal weekend so he can attend our backpacking trip. It is possible to attend a different one in our lodge, so I told him to look up the lodge advisor's number and explain his situation. And no, it's not about the girls. So far none have signed up. In my day, I could not imagine postponing such a weekend for anything. In fact, I turned down an invitation to a school dance and watching the Pirates in the World Series (yes, kids, it used to happen) with Dad for a rainy, cold, autumn weekend of "cheerful service." One scout brought a radio and the outlet outside the trading post was working, and winds stayed under 50, so it turned out to be a good weekend.

@@pelczars, welcome to the forums! The protocol is that everyone work together for the good of the boys. Figuring out precisely what that is for every unit takes wisdom. It's entirely possible that the troop is a juggernaut with more than enough committee and ASMs. (Most of us stick around our troop a few years after our children have graduated ... more if their spouses delay producing grandkids .) So, your former MC's go over there, see that every job is filled, and they might not fit in. (Imagine a troop always on the go, and an MC who doesn't feel fit enough to keep up.) Add to that, boys who ask their parents for a little more space, and they may want to stick with what they know best: helping the pack. So, in this bunch, you usually get two kinds of people: 1. Folks who really can help you get some things done (smooth over paperwork, build a mean derby track, rally the CO, relate really well to first graders). If these are who you have, increase the size of your committee and create positions for them. 2. Folks who are too close for comfort (e.g., personality conflicts, overly critical, just don't fit in, etc ...) but would do well with another unit. You might want to call your district commissioner and recommend them for training in a district position. For example, there might be a nearby pack who could really use a unit commissioner. So, your committee chair and charter organization representative should take a stab at determining who falls under which category and guide them accordingly.

I don't propose to speak for the scout-shop. But, the "applicant's record", by virtue of the two signatures therein, says that 1. The counselor said the boy completed the badge. 2. The unit leader has received the card determined the application to be complete. From their portion of the blue card, the troop may submit an advancement report (can be done online) and use it to order badges in bulk. So, it may be worth your time to ask the SM (or have your new SM ask on the scout's behalf) if they've already purchased the badges. When Son #2 was coming up short on patches, I took his blue cards in to purchase the spare MBs.

Sounds like the troop looses a really good scout. Award information should be in the scout's hands. Your son should have his portion of the blue card for each MB. Also his handbook should have everything for that rank signed including-the board of review. Troop records are secondary. In addition, SMs do talk to one another from time to time (at a club called round-table). Between all of that, they should be able to get things squared away.

Well, the thinly veiled trojan horse was when they started circulating "Scouting USA" bumper stickers in the 70s and in the 90s chose their domain name "Scouting.org" (instead of, say, "BoyScouts.org"). @@Snow Owl may be a social justice warrior, or may be trying to make things easier for parents in geographically disjointed communities. BSA is just trying to keep the units it has. Like @@gumbymaster implies, follow the money.

Welcome! And thanks in advance for all you'll do for the boys.

Time to pull out the potato exercise from VLSC. Someone is carving into (rather than respecting) someone else's potato. You may need the thickest-skinned adult to come along-side the youth, and bring her around gently ... all the while listening to see if some past adult interactions or life in general paved the way for bad behavior. Adult association being a method of venturing, there is every intention that every venturer master it. I had a conduct-disordered scout like this. It does require patience. Often we worked on the rough edges during "forced" marches in bear country.

Really think long and hard about this. I've seen such a variety of trailers, that I wouldn't dare look up our troop's to give yours a comparison. Get the specific stats for your load. Remember, scouters usually have a full bed and passengers when they haul. Factor that in. It's not just standing weight, but terrain, and the speed the thing is being pulled. I've seen an SM blow his engine gasket hauling up and down WV mountains. I won't disparage the make and model here, but it was the name-brand of it's day.

Victims of our success. With more boys earning the rank, organizations recognize the name. What's a pity is they miss whole troops of scouts who would gladly do the service but aren't interested in the rank.

Well, one of my Venturers is missing a backpacking weekend for his ordeal, so it's not completely lost. But, youth are guarding their time and $$s more carefully these days. At least the ones I know aren't going through the ordeal unless they can follow through with doing some real service as an Arrowman. Contrast that to me who was more than happy to have my name on a roster, even if it meant no particular involvement in lodge life after the ordeal. At least these kids are thinking about making a real commitment.

@@NobodyReally, welcome to the forums! The only reason it's impossible to earn 180 MBs is that there are currently only 136! There are scouts who legitimately earn them all. Yeah, sounds like your troop's kinda doing it wrong too. The scout may master some skills for the MB on a campout, but nobody needs to sign off on each little thing. He gets a blue card, meets with any available counselor in the district, goes home/camping/touring etc ..., meets with the counselor again to cover what he did, counselor signs blue card. MB earned. Here's the deal. If the boy feels like he is being unfairly challenged as to the program he received, he should ask the SM for a conference and share his perspective. When he is up for board of review, he can explain to the committee that the adults should be more affirming about skills mastered and last paranoid about shoddy counselors. Maybe they'll be able to explain to him about how some other boys or leaders who truly had "high-speed low-drag" attitude toward advancement disappointed them ... and between both sides, everyone will come to a mutual understanding. Botttom line: it's his troop, not yours. So as a parent, you need to just keep encouraging him to interact with his adult leaders and ask them what they are really concerned about. At the same time, let him know that if he finds things to be truly insufferable, you'll take time to help him visit another troop.

I'm told that Den chiefs can count. We've done things like that with pennies. The boys get 5 pennies, they can drop them into slotted tins or boxes in front of each car/cake/project. (Hint, you can teach the Webelos to fold origami boxes the week before the race ... you'll have more than you'll need or ever want to see again.) If you're okay with open voting, you could use stickers. A different color for each category. (If you're really obsessive you can print the categories on labels. And each boy gets a strip of labels.) Each car gets a card/ribbon to put the stickers on, and and the car-builder gets to take home the card full of stickers as a momento. The trick with all of these is to have the boys go down the line of cars once before getting their voting tokens.

This sounds like a do-what-you-would-normally-do-while-we-market-it scheme. But, here's what I think is really going on ... increasingly, middle-class parents are not joiners. (Consider the amount of efforts political campaigns are putting out begging independents to "not waste their vote" relative to "go talk to your neighbor about our candidate".) They are doing that because families are seen as "islands unto themselves" and everything, from men's clubs to religious/political associations erodes the shores of those islands. (Somehow, soccer leagues and yoga classes are not seen as doing that.) In my opinion, the reality is that successive generations of parents took the "choose your friends wisely" lesson to extremes, and now commute to work and church and recreation rather than live in a nearby row-house and block off the street once a week for the kids to play ball with their nearest neighbors. I walked to my den-mom's place until I was a Webelo. How many of us attend scouts/church within 20 minute walking distance from home/school/work? What do we have against all of the neighbors who we drive past? What do they have against us? So, I suggest we read "family inclusive" as a buzzword for "let us help you build/maintain your Island."

Unsold corn going to mash.