starwolfmom

I've got one son in Boy Scouts and one in Cub Scouts, and I serve on the troop committee. In mid-September, at our first pack meeting of the year, I gave the Webelos 1 and 2 leaders flyers listing three upcoming events that our troop was inviting their boys to attend. One event was the fall camporee (invited to lunch with the troop on Sat. 10/9), another an OA drumming demo on November 1, then our lock-in in February. Lots of advance notice, enthusiastic invitation on my part, phone number included on the flyer. Last night, at our second pack night (hayride and campfire), I asked the Webelos 1 leader if her boys were coming to the fall camporee. "When is that?" Ummm... this weekend. "Does it cost anything?" (All of this was spelled out in the flyer.) AFter chatting, she was going to see if they could make it. She was more positive about the November event, because it's on their regular den meeting night and will be a fun activity for the boys. So, then I approached the Webelos 2 leader. Again, she was totally ignorant of what I was inviting her to. She finally admitted that she hadn't looked at the papers since I gave them to her--nearly a month ago. Is it any wonder almost no boys from our pack ever cross over to Boy Scouts? (Last year, only 2 out of 14 Web 2's crossed over.) They have no idea what Boy Scouting is like, because they can never be bothered to come to anything we invite them to. I'm probably more depressed about this than I should be, but I'm saddened by their apathy. Also, last night's "pack meeting" really wasn't. No opening ceremony of any kind, no skits or songs, just a bunch of kids running around and roasting marshmallows and racing about in the dark. My oldest son (the whole family went) remembered when he was a little tyke in the pack and they did the hayride and campfire, that each den--parents and boys--had to perform a song or skit, and the cubmaster and assistants voted on the best one--and that den got extra marshmallows. "that was so much fun," he sighed. And last night? that wasn't fun, it was just chaos. Feeling disgruntled--Elizabeth

I LOVE that movie! I remember watching it as a kid, and I've never forgotten it. I'll have to buy a copy to share it with my boys. I hope they like it as much as I did. I know that they enjoyed my favorite Boy Scout fiction book--Follow My Leader, by James Garfield. It's about a Boy Scout who is blinded in a firecracker accident and gets a guide dog. It culminates with him going on a campout with his troop along with the dog. It was a little dated (written back in 1958), but the boys thought it was terrific. StarWolfMom

Hi. My name is Elizabeth and I'm a troop committee member for Troop 111, Lansing, Michigan. I'm secretary and membership coordinator, and my husband is going to be the new treasurer come fall. My oldest son, Matt, is a Star Scout, newly elected to OA, and ASPL for the troop. My youngest son, Greg, is a Wolf Scout. I also have two other kids, Christopher (Scouting's not his thing), and Cathy (who is only a toddler, but probably a future Girl Scout). I was a Girl Scout, and my older brother and uncle are both Eagle Scouts. My husband is a Life Scout, but didn't quite make it to Eagle (I think he was one merit badge short, for which he could kick himself now). He was a District Executive for the Hoosier Trails Council in southern Indiana for about a year when we were engaged, lo these many years ago, but until he got suckered (oh, I'm sorry, recruited) to be troop treasurer, he hasn't been terribly involved in the boys' Scouting activities. I've been the Scout mom from Tiger on up--except for Pinewood Derby, which Dad participated in with Matt and now Greg. I've been lurking on the forums for a while--lots of good information. I'm hoping to learn lots and also contribute. Elizabeth