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I've known a cub scout or two who earned every typical achievement. At times they were called arrow-points. Now they are adventure loops. The current list as mapped out here seems within reach of an extremely active cub. I estimate that there'll be one in every pack every couple of years. The other awards that @TMSM mentions are rarely earned in their own right.

My bottom line: we have no business telling a scout what MBs to take when. My advice to scouts: You need eight electives for advancement to Eagle, and 5 more for each Palm you'd like to earn. So rack those electives up as early and as often as your scout spirit emboldens you. If you happen to be interested in an Eagle-required badge, go for it. But never let a required badge get in the way of earning an elective of interest to you. Then, When you reach 1st Class, start picking the required ones that you feel ready to knock out for your next rank. If you haven't done so already, that's one a month for Star, one every other month for Life, and one a month for Eagle. That said, in separate conversations I tell the boys in our troop that when I collapse, I want as many scouts around me who know what to do to forestall my demise. So, 1st Aid, Lifesaving, and E-Prep are very high on my list of "to master as soon as you feel able". But that's got nothing to do with their advancement and everything to do with our survival when dark days arrive! Son #1 earned archery his first year ... and swimming, but that was a family imperative because we spend half our weekends on a Great Lake. Son #2 partial-ed in swimming ... because lightning disrupted every day they were to do surface dives. Seven years, and he never took the time to go and check that one off. Wound up Hiking the snot out of our county at age 17.8. In conclusion, @SteveMM your new scout (and his parent) was given excellent advice, and your son was given sub-par advice.

@ParkMan, I think the not-so-shot short answer is "no, and yes". The average troop is not designed to provide enough program for older youth. As you recount, youth are designed to provide program for their troop. Take, for example, the merit badge program. It was designed to exist outside the troop. Councilors were selected on a handshake from the district commissioners. The list was was typed and pinned to the bulletin board. Scouts read the list and told the SM, I'd like to take y MB from Mr/Mrs x. The MB program is a program for older youth to get outside the troop, meet folks in your community, and learn stuff. In doing that, boys would come back and enhance the troop program. Simple example, one day a year our troop would have a meeting dedicated to hobbies. Scouts would bring in or demonstrate their hobbies. In many cases these were related to the MB they had earned that year or were working on. I was nuts about model design and building -- ships mainly. Another scout made farm equipment models. I learned a lot about grading roads from him. I'd like to think scouts learned about nautical stuff from me. The next year, I took Photography at a MB pow-wow and after quality time in the darkroom with the counselor, learned enough about developing film to keep taking pin-hole camera pictures. My parents got me the equipment to temporarily turn the bathroom into my own darkroom. I then, for our council camporee, talked the SM into getting our whole troop to convert a long cardboard box into a mobile darkroom and learn to develop pinhole camera portraits (passport photo size). For one Satuday, it was probably the only 1-hour photo studio in the state! So, what about Son #1 and his scholar-athlete buddies? They rolled some duct tape and string and who-knows-what into a ball, pulled a decent stick from the fire pile, and defined imaginary bases around where the camp gathered for flags. The jaw of one parent of a particularly non-athletic, non-participating son hit the ground when he asked after his son and I told him, "Oh, he's playing baseball with the boys in their field of dreams." Over the years, advancement requirements have become more organization-serving (e.g., camping nights only count under the auspices of BSA, the recruitment requirements, activity attendance over skill mastery, insta-Palms for scouts who spend so much time in O/A, HA, or Jambo that they postpone Eagle Projects of fulfilling PoR's, etc ...). And that's a shame. When we try to make the troop the be-all-end-all of youth development, we miss the point. And we wear ourselves out in the process.

Tell him one rank every eight months ... and one, maybe two merit badges every three months. Then, if he really wants to be in control of his future, he should make himself useful to his parents to the tune of $100. That should allow him, by age 14, to amass the funds to do any big-ticket scouting that suits his fancy. Considering how much he likes to plan things, he may want to consider Personal Management MB early in his scouting career.

I think once upon a time the Computers MB had options to write code for typesetting output. Word mail-merge with custom labels should do the trick.

@Eagledad brings up my opposite point. SM's don't always know what to do with high-functioning scouts. Son #1 and his two buddies were such boys. And it was really stressful on both SM and boys to fit them into troop PoR's. The troop was growing at the time and the swarm of cross-overs overwhelmed these guys. That SM and I are still wondering if I did him a favor starting a crew so that they could direct their steam more appropriately. Or, did I deprive the troop of leadership because Son #1 and his best friends had spread themselves too thin?

@2275, welcome to the forums! Around here, camp staff are encouraged to take the week off to camp with their troop. This is especially true for scouts staffing the cub resident camp, which can be particularly intense. I can understand how an SM would like someone like your son to be with the troop for that week. Such scouts attending camp often benefit the troop more than they benefit themselves. Their absence leaves a big hole. (And I disagree with @perdidochas that only SPL/ASPL or any other youth in a current PoR are the only scouts essential to troop life.) So, tell your son to take it as a compliment. Also, if he wants a second opinion, have him talk to his Camp Director about it. His/her opinion might matter more than that of strangers on the internet!

@Treflienne, if your scouts are really into knots and lashings, have them visit the scout-craft area of camp and ask if they can get the materials and assistance to build a simple gateway. IMHO, It's nothing you have to consider in advance. Charlei

@SubSM welcome! And thanks in advance for all you'll do for the youth.

I've seen folks use the elected ASPL -> promoted SPL in some troops. It's not by the book, but not far from it either. A scout is friendly, so of course any assistant would be a buddy. But I've seen how in an immature troop the elected SPL -> appointed ASPL can turn vicious and become something the SM doesn't want to deal with ever again. From the cheap seats, your SM's investment in your son at this time comes as no surprise. If you want the boys to run the program, you need to invest time in the boys who are there regularly. Often times, these are scouts who, from the outside looking in, don't deserve the attention. They aren't your high-functioning scholar athletes. On the contrary, they are often your trouble-makers and introverts. They really do need a lot of time and guidance to become well-rounded individuals. It's a tough balance. Too much attention towards this lot, and your high-functioning scouts can feel neglected or taken for granted. This seems like what happened to your son. Too little attention, and events don't get planned or they get planned badly or, worse, the moral shortcomings of the scouts drive the troop into the ground. The really good news: because your son has learned what it means to be coached well, he will probably be able to give the SM constructive feedback and both of them will have a rewarding year. P.S. - My kids were all soccer players. Still are to this day. It's a handy social skill ... if head injuries can be kept to a minimum. But, they also opted out of cup leagues for the sake of other activities like Scouting/Venturing.

It's like I have an evil Texan twin! I get their point. If you build it, they might not come. I also have your view ... if you don't, they definitely wont! A lot really depends on those four girls. If they can build enthusiasm ... if they can meet with sisters of scouts ... if they can remind them of how it feels when their brothers marched of to camp with Dad ... how it felt when the one GS/USA troop that did monthly outdoor activities said it was full ... if they can pester their parents to form a committee. Sure, a lot of units start with just five. But a lot end because they don't have the right five.

Bottle that feeling up.and save it for the next scout who you overhear saying he doesn't want a big ceremony! After you rested up, give your mom a big hug! And let her know that a bunch of strangers on the internet think she done good!

We had one scout who transferred to our troop who was extremely grateful that our troop's first day of camp didn't involve the time consuming construction of a gateway. Evidently that was an entirely adult-driven activity of his previous troop.

Son #2's SM was so fed up with scouts asking him the time that next year he built a window box with straps, put a wall clock in it, and strapped it to a tree trunk at the center of camp about 8 feet up. Took about a day of every scout being answered with a finger pointed to the tree, and the scouts stopped asking.

I've seen about 5 SM transitions in one troop. Boys really get attached to their SMs, so any change is rough on older scouts. Adults grow and learn as well. And that can be tough. I personally favor a disciplined coach who takes the game they're coaching seriously.

I had a tie-dye plastic file folder with rosters, med forms, check, etc ... Anything involving travel goes on the left side, in he order that we will use it. Anything involving the base on the right side. Ordered according to the base manual. Manila envelopes are your friend. A master list of who turned in what when is also essential. Maps, brochures, geocache swag, shark ID guide, went in a separate folder/binder that I could pass around to the scouts while we were traveling. Seabase is pretty thorough with check-in and they do their best to make you comfortable and not feel rushed.

Also at a meeting someone could ask for a show of hands of who earned their current oval in the last six months. The better your troop's attendance, the more accurate your count.

Let me also repeat (to the yawns of senior forum members) that the best scout I ever knew aged out at 2nd class. What made him the best? He invited me to join his troop!

Black out anything that says there is a specific timeline. "First Class First Year" (a.k.a. FCFY) is a lie and harmful to the health of the troop. Also, telling a scout he should earn just one rank a year will probably bore him. The best guidance is "Hustle up, but take your time." A good troop will naturally provide opportunities to practice each 1st class skill every year. But a healthy troop will have some scouts who master those skills in under six month and others (like my boys, both Eagles) who take 3 to 4 years to make 1st Class. Star, Life, and Eagle are much more challenging. The minimum time to earn those ranks is 16 months, but most boys can take two or three times that. I suspect girls will find the same experience -- not impossible, but not a slam dunk. So you will find a fair spread of ages of earning Eagle -- from 12 to 18. After Eagle, a scout can earn Palms, and be challenged with other awards and accolades. Really, Eagle is just one piece of a much larger puzzle.

Upon arrival? How about three months in advance upon registration! It's a little ridiculous. The boys are pretty good at finding kindling on their own. At least last year the camp handed out square neckerchiefs with the map printed on it.

Answering your last question first. Encourage your SM to never operate as Webelos 3. They are scouts from day 1. If they don't understand what that means, they learn it. (That's why Scout is now considered a rank.) That does not mean the girls are ready to solo in a wilderness recreation area on day 1. That does mean they get into habits of thinking for themselves. Electing a PL. Coming up with a name, yell, flag, etc ... on their own and within a month of starting. Map out camp sites commensurate with their skills. Have them think about what they'd like to do when. They plan their own menus, track their own fitness, etc ... As a CC, those are the benchmarks that what you'll want to hear from the SM. You want your committee to be meeting these girls in boards of review and hearing how they feel about their progress and their troop. Leadership development starts now. Do not squander it by letting an overprotective adult take the reigns. But listen to what the youth are telling your committee. If they hate camp cards, drop them and tell them you'll do your best to support them in whatever fundraiser they want to try. If one of them has an idea for something cool, encourage them to speak up in their patrol. Encourage the youth to listen to one another. For ASMs, you will need to recruit women of the utmost integrity. That's the best thing you can do as CC. It is the hardest thing to do because you want to encourage adults, but you also want to be selective at the same time. The other thing you will want to do is find out who has property in their family that may be suitable for camping. Do those two things right and your job as CC will be fun and rewarding.

First, her dad is making this about him. I haven't read a recent statement from Mrs. Ireland. I agree with @willray in that it doesn't matter how badly the wheel (or it's parent) squeaks if the tire is flat. @Hawkwin, we have discussed this before. You have created a false dichotomy. Prior to Feb 1, 2019 BSA permitted young men from foreign WOSM organizations to start rank advancement at a level commensurate with their skills. However, if that scout had joined his WOSM troop just a month before coming to the US, he could only at most be accorded Tenderfoot. After Feb 1, BSA would also permit a young women from her foreign WOSM organization to start advancement based on the work done in her own country since Feb 1. If BSA is insisting that retroactive advancement does not apply to girls. It does not apply to them if the scout is a citizen from another country who recently arrived in the USA, and it certainly does not apply to a young woman from the USA who joined a another WOSM organization to advance in their ranks. It's just not a loophole if BSA says the clock starts on a particular date for a particular group of scouts.

The editor is using the second, figurative, meaning for scuttle (v): "to totally destroy." The trip was scuttled in the sense that the fire made a wreck of their plans for the trip. Of course, it might be to the scouts' advantage if somebody makes a large donation because he/she misses the play on words and thinks the boat is at the bottom of the bay with a large hole in it.

Your experience parallels ours. I still find voice to voice communication to be the most reliable. second most is a bulletin board. thirdly, web sign-ups (our webmaster uses Google forms are working, but roughly. No worse than paper, but no better either. Scoutbook is showing a lot of promise, but has a ways to go. At least our CO gave us the wifi password, so we can work on resolving issues at meetings.

@Liz if you have to feel sorry for "pass/fail", @Eagledad has to feel sorry for talking about when a scout "doesn't get past" his board of review. Sure, not a retest, blah blah blah ... But, it is a trial, and one that scouts usually pass and sometimes fail, until they finally get past whatever shortcoming they have. It's just like the folks who bought into national's doublespeak and bust my chops for saying I was an Eagle Scout. I reply, "Until my SM can work on rank advancement, like SMs in the first 50 years of BSA, I will continue to speak plainly."