ScoutMomma898

If extra merit badges are earned BEFORE the scout becomes an Eagle Scout, are they counted as part of the Palm Badges? One son will have 3 extra badges when he goes Eagle. I hope I said that clearly.

I say no to felony convictions for any reason and here's why. 1. You don't have to be a leader to participate in scouting. He can still be very involved and contribute in a meaningful way and not be a leader. Being a leader does not get the leader anything extra. 2. Unless you are willing to print a dossier of all leaders letting parents know that this one is a felon, you are withholding information from parents. At this point parents are not expecting felons past or present to be a part of scout leadership. 3. What is an innocent mistake to you, turns into a lawsuit, when you don't consider the next Dad's felon record to be a innocent childhood prank. What we consider to be innocent is relative to our own experiences; what WE want to be looked over in our own lives. You are treading on VERY thin ice.

At our troop we wear Class A during the school year and Class B during the summer months (June - August) One thing is everyone wears the uniform-- Adults to kids. It's not the kids. I bet it's the parents who either don't have the funds or don't see the point. I think a meeting or conference call with the parents can remedy this situation and also help them to understand what scouting is about. Also help families to find used uniform pieces at reduced prices. The boys grow so quickly it's ridiculous to spend $40 on clothes they can't wear in 6 months. *** Side comment: I don't know what has gotten into BSA with the uniforms lately. I'm of the mind to let it settle down a bit before I buy new stuff for our sons. I mean new uniform colors and fabric types are coming out like it's fashion week!! I was about to order some shorts from the online site and read the fabric care instructions which said -- DRY CLEAN ONLY!! Are they kidding? I'm not spending $45 bucks for dry clean only shorts and let them be worn. I'll then have to purchase a museum quality case to show them in.