qwazse

But, when it doesn't, it can become a thorn in your side. I only give applications to adults who show leadership on my terms. For a person like this, it would take me a few months of ovserving behavior that offsets that first impression. The remainder of your advice is spot on.

Asking Yanks how to be subtle in Queen's English? You must really feel at wits end. Unless things have changed that much in three decades, Brits doing "blunt" was always lost on me. Anyway, with the SM patch comes a loss of subtlety. You really can't afford to treat adults much differently than you do youth. In the instance described, I would address the boys: It sounds like Mr. Helicopter has given enough for you three to get on. Would you mind if I stole him from you, and we let you finish up on your own? For the larger American audience, that roughly translates into: Why the blue blazes are you boys distracting my adult leader? Don't you know I need him to watch water boil? Now snap that tent up before we suggest to your PL that he/she should interrupt his/her nap to help you. Once the adult is out of ear-shod of the youth, you then explain the importance of letting the boys work the program and how you need any adult guests to be at the ready for emergencies, relaying football scores, and such.

We have bird houses all around our yard. Set them out for years. One that I built with Son #2 when he was just old enough to appreciate the concept, my starving-artist friend painted. Looks great in the lawn for all these years, never inhabited. Might have something to do with house pets! On the other hand, my 120 year old house with massive box-gutters, always has a nest or two in the decorative woodwork. I think in this old neighborhood, it's an avian buyer's market. Your boy certainly has the badge, so this is a matter of seeing if his interest will take this to the next level. He could put out an additional house every month. Vary the location. See which, if any, finally gets occupied. It could be a science fair project.

Nice thing about having a mom who stocked for Armageddon (and who had spent the last 30 years of her life feeding ravenous siblings), was that I didn't have to shop much. We all just volunteered to raid our respective cupboards. I remember shopping for some staples, but I don't remember collecting $ for it. Every PLC is different, and they need to define their style. If they review every month how the previous weekend's logistics served them, that will happen. But, that won't happen if adults intervene. Regarding prices ... our boys have smart phones and our stores have shopping apps! If I dare brag about getting a decent cut of meat from the local butcher, they can tell me how they can get it fresh-caught and flash frozen from Patagonia with a special code to waive shipping fees for half what I paid. They might even be able to have it delivered by drone to the trail head! I can't think of anything I can do that our scouts couldn't do better after a couple of tries. They just need the time "at bat."

Welcome to the forums! Let us know what your son's counselor says. If it's at camp, I should hope they try a little time bits watching ... Maybe at some houses the camp put up.

No, you wouldn't. The sheet clearly states "if worn" what should be placed on it. You lose points only if inappropriate insignia are on the patch. If the sash is not worn (presumably because you haven't earned the badges), you get the full five points.

These days, all naturally formed patrols are non-BSA.

Boots on the ground tell me they would not get resupplied if it weren't for Marine pilots willing to fly craft where Army and Navy pilots won't. Maybe there is a way to consolidate, but there is no reason to suspect it will be budget reducing. @@Beavah, remember when Clinton was first running, he floated a BTU tax that would replace income? Couldn't convince middle America that it would save them money or paperwork. @@NJCubScouter -- fun with tangents.

Do any of you teach the caterpillar method of hiking? Scouts proceed on trail spreading out until the lead has covered about 1000 yards or is coming on a hill. The lead then stops. Second scout advances about 50 yards past the lead then stops, 3rd scout stops 50 yards past the second, etc ... (In tight country or very steep climbs that distance might be 50 or 25 feet.) The lead only starts hiking once the sweep has advanced past the 2nd. Everyone continues, stopping when he has hiked that distance past the scout in front of him and starting only once the scout behind him passes and moves past the scout in front of him. Swapping positions while you're moving is okay as long as you commit to stopping safely once you are ahead of everyone and only starting again once everyone is ahead of you. A party of 10 might get spread out about 500 yards ... each scout always in eyesight of the next. This sets up opportunities to spot game, calm the group, rely on hand signals, give everyone a rest, and keep your fast hikers accountable to the slow ones. I've found this works for city youth who hike infrequently and are more intimidated about the woods than it does with scouts who have a sense that their buddies will be fine no matter what.

I know that. We all do (although truth be told, yoga pants ain't making it easy in this town). But these guys don't know you we do (or, would rather believe that all of us don't) respect the people they are meant to protect. So somehow you got to convince them that you're being a good neighbor as well as protective dad. Bringing back to topic: you could open with a story about how folks with zero-tolerance policies are demonizing our school kids who would otherwise grow up strong and do good for our country.

Not disagreeing with the insanity of it all. We've got some adorable girls in hijabs around here, and I know that it does nothing to stop guys from being, well, guys. I'm sure having put your time in in-country, there's plenty more to go on about. Just suggesting some honey over vinegar. Telling him you'll treat his women with the utmost respect if he can see it in his heart to do the same for yours will get you more miles in the long run. Buying the ticket home ... well we've found that doesn't necessarily end well.

I don't know about other parts of the country, but of grateful beneficiaries, community garden folks around here seem to top the list. A lot of neighbors, in spite of relocating here because of new jobs/school opportunities, etc ..., have lost their sense of place, and find it in these gardens. But they are often overwhelmed with no time to seriously improve their patch of land to the point of sustainability. Our scouts come in and hack at one particular problem, or simply mobilize the community ... get the ball rolling ... then at CoH's the person who donated the land comes and tells the audience how he/she almost lost hope in grandpa's lot being anything but everyone else's dump or parking lot. ... Counts for WAY MORE than service hours.

Oh, in case you haven't already, call your local paper. Especially if there was a reporter who covered the incident. I'm sure he/she'd love to follow-up at the awards ceremony.

Probably the only thing my grandparents rued about immigrating was the havoc that they perceived the sexual revolution wreaked on their children. I've since talked to Syrians who lingered in country, and know the old folks' rant was pots calling kettles black. I'm just saying, keep in mind that he sees how "our" girls are abused, coerced into pseudo-consensual promiscuity, and trafficked in this country and wants that crappola to stop, and work from common ground that you both want the best for your kids. You just are pretty convinced that fiddling with dress codes doesn't even touch the margin of the problem.

As someone whose family endured countless "welcome to America" speeches, then watch those families devolve into debauchery ... just requesting you go easy on the guy.

I don't know how you guys teach classes, but we bring good snacks, and plenty of tea and coffee. Folks can reload or call for a break any time. (Helpful hint: when possible, choose the venue next to the dutch oven class!)

You know, some of this boils down to proper COR training ... convincing them that they actually are responsible to approve leadership who deliver that program, and failure to do so reflects on the CO, not the unit. Being the youngest kid in the family I grew up hearing criticism (good and bad) of other units. Never was a unit # mentioned, it was always "the troop at ___ church" or the "pack out of ___ hall". That still holds to this day. On occasion, a leader's name would be mentioned, but usually ... it's the CO.

Probably some kid in a rush to school, remembered it was in the glove compartment from the weekend camping, didn't want to get suspended, so he chucked it hoping that some kind soul would turn it in for him to claim at the end of the day.

I sat in on Pitt's freshman engineering seminars. Student teams research a future invention they have been thinking about (possibly since high school), and research its current feasibility, including energy efficiency, health and safety, and sustainability. One team presented a self-sustaining bio-fueled autonomous pond-scrubber bot. (Think water flea scaled-up to have ping-pong ball feet.) Quite impressive. If kids across the country come through on 1/10 of these designs, the future will be awesome. Son #2 and his buddy pitched invisibility cloaking. Don't expect to see a full-scale prototype any time soon.

Check with your DE. Sometimes council awards these at a coordinated meeting. Anyway, if it is a unit CoR that kind of decision is up to your SPL.

Well ... that and showing him a snow drift with the tracks of the boys coming in the night before, of the lead boys fresh tracks going out, and a bear's paw on top of them. That boy's been moving ever since!

Came on a trail as a guy completing an extended hike in Filas for the first time was coming off. He said he definitely felt lighter on his feet, but had to walk more gingerly than he would have in boots. That particular trail wasn't very rocky, but I got the impression that he'd continue wearing them in future hikes.

Instead of the cash, I would have asked if he could come visit the troop while setting up camp. It would be nice to have a hand pounding those steaks pounded into rocky ground.

Looks like you have a difficult family situation to sort through. But, a severely disabled person can participate as a scout. Get your DE to help you sort some of this out.

.... You must be in Hell. An espresso pot is my go-to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moka_pot What's nice about beans ground for stove top espresso, is that they pack tightly in a ziplock.