ScouterLew

Some thought that WWI was going to be the last great war. Some thought that prohibition was the end of alcohol in the USA. Some thought that the Great Depression was the end of American Society. Some thought the 60's and the riots were going to destroy our Democracy. Some thought KISS would have all of us children worshipping the devil. The BSA is the BSA. The knot is not going to change the BSA. Maybe the knot represents a change the BSA needs to make in how it addresses an issue. Those knots, pink, purple, or blue do not threaten my core values or beliefs or challenge why I am a member with my 3 sons. ( No, I'm not Fred McMurray... ) It's a piece of fabric on a shirt. A shirt worn to represent an organization. If it's authorized, great. If it's not then take it off and do what you have to do to get it authorized. Either way...let's really lead our youth and show them the difference between right and wrong, how to right wrongs...and have the courage and stamina to engage in the process for change.

I've been devouring all of this wonderful discourse over the last two days since I signed up. I was in this thread when it suddenly occurred to me...tomorrow is Veterans Day!! What a wonderful culture we have where we can have this kind of discourse in this kind of medium...with this kind of freedom! Maybe if it were today it wouldn't have taken 11 YEARS for our founding fathers to come up with the Constitution. The BSA isn't perfect and will never perfectly meet all of our needs. But with our constant collective input it will remain the best alternative for us. Thank you all of you for putting your thoughts in these forums. Some of us out here actually read them!

If the troop is unhappy with the quality of merit badge instruction they should find another camp or volunteer to counsel merit badges at camp. Volunteer to counsel?.... Be proactive?? You mean....actually HELP in a positive way??? The parent and son should get an apology from the SM for the poor communication on the front end. The parent learns a lesson in " nothing's perfect." The son learns a lesson in " life isn't fair." The parent and son decide whether to pitch in and make it better or pack their lunch and eat at another table. The DE or other appropriate entity should ensure that the Troop is operating within BSA guidelines. Sounds as if they are that serious about MB awards then maybe they care about the rest of the program as well. I'm still wearing the blue epaulets but I guess I have all this to look forward to next year when my two Webelos move up! Again, and you will find this a common theme in many of my posts...IT'S BETTER WHEN IT'S BEEN FIXED RATHER THAN WAITING FOR IT TO BREAK!!! That goes for people as well. Time to get INVOLVED!

There are three keys to a successful meeting... 1) preparation 2) preparation 3) preparation The beauty of this is that if you lose one or two keys, you still succeed! I have bought the cubleader's book and read it a lot. I find that many of the problems I read about and experience have already been addressed and resolved in that tome. Whatever happens...stay after it, keep looking for answers, and never ever give up. One of the unanticipated benefits of being a scouter as an adult are the things we get to learn also. You will be stronger and better for getting through this. At this level just keep repeating the Law of the Pack. At the next level the Scout Oath. The answer is to get parent involvement, split the den, employ den chiefs, etc.

Lisabob, I was in for almost two years around '75 as a tenderfoot and 2nd class. I was an overweight scouter and never felt accepted in the troop. I drifted away with my father from the program. Now I am still overweight, but in my 3rd year as a Den leader and considering cubmaster for next year. I have 2 Webelos II and a Tiger Cub. My Tiger's twin is a brownie in GSA. ( Yes, I have 2 sets of twins, 3 years apart. No, twins do not run in either one of our families...until now! ) My Webelos II's are being groomed as Den Chiefs starting next year. My Tiger is being taught some basic servant leadership skills. From my scouting experience I have learned to go after the weakest links and make them stronger. Bring them into the center of acceptance. I also work with the parents to keep them strongly participating. The boys are at the mercy of the parent's level of interest. If the parents continually put pressure on them to miss meetings, etc., then you lose them. This is the way I have chosen to serve my community and maintain relationships with my children...through scouting. My personal belief is that your program is only as strong as your weakest member. If you concentrate on the 5 strongest members then soon that may be all you have. Two years ago I made the decision to work to live, as opposed to living to work. I gave up $10 a year, got 20 hours a week of my life back, and am forming lifelong relationships with my family and community not previously important or enjoyed. I plan to be associated with scouting as long as they will have me.

Wearing the scout uniform is somewhere between Halloween and the military. For Halloween you can wear anything you want. In the military wearing anything you want can land you in confinement. The wearing of the scout uniform is a privilege and the awards that we put on it are earned. If we are leading our youth and would not accept this behaviour from our youth then why would we accept it from each other? We should have the courage and tact to address this one on one with the 'offender.' If that doesn't work then we work it up the chain of command. If the problem is unit wide or may involve just a few...then a uniform inspection at a RT or other event would be good. Either way, protecting the integrity of the uniform and what each of the awards are for is important. If it isn't important to the 'offender' then they may be part of the wrong outfit for the wrong reasons.

Yes the whole troop knows what happened by now. As soon as one scout overheard his or other parents talking about this... Their ongoing involvement in the troop should be decided ongoing if their presence presents an obstruction to scouting activities. This should be decided by the scouting leadership and not the parents. But parents are always welcome to provide 'input.' With my employees I accept mistakes. And yes, sometimes these 'mistakes' are premeditated acts of stupidity. I find the best employees are ones that have been 'fixed', not ones that have never been broken. My children as well as my employees benefit from my personal creed...everyone gets two chances...the first one and the last one. I accept mistakes, but I also demand they learn from them. A broken bone healed is the toughest part of the bone. A healed scar is the toughest part of the skin. " He who is without sin cast the first stone..." Whether from a natural or religious perspective we can't simply throw these people out, unless it is shown that their presence is an impediment to the scouting activities in the future. After all...that is the context of this entire event...otherwise it would be moot.