Tampa Turtle

Contrarian.

In my experience those boys who did some coordinating with a Troop were more likely to cross over and stay active after the first three months. Not everyone, but it helped. Ones who did not or had no camping experience with a Troop as Webelos guest were much more likely to have a first year 'crisis' experience at a campout. We have had the best results with those boys that attended a council "Back to Brownsea" event where they were divided up into patrols for a weekend and did lots of boy scout things led by boy scouts. In some cases some kids were being pushed along by parents into Scouts and that has always had mixed results. Boys who hate camping are always gonna have issues.

We did what Parkman did though it really depends on what the other parents wanted to do. Sometimes my family ended up cooking our own food because...it was fun and we were camping. We were often in the minority.

Now that is just being picky. Besides, makes it hard to see that they are girls.

We have one that stops by a couple times a month. It helps that he lives nearby and many moons ago his boy Eagled in the Troop. He watches some meetings, sits in on a CC or two, and attends the occasional COH. A couple times I have had some bureaucratic question and he did look into it and get back to us. Occasionally he has told us not to ask a question.

That's OK it is all 'interim' - nothing to see here. Please move along. But swell, they sure are cute.

I wish you had not pointed that out, someone no doubt will be punished for it now.

I keep hearing that "Family Scouting" is NOT synonymous with "Girls in Scouting". But I just got a scouting email with a FAQ to questions about "Family Scouting". (https://scoutingwire.org/3-places-to-get-answers-to-your-questions-about-family-scouting/?utm_source=scoutingwire&utm_campaign=swvolunteer2142018&utm_medium=email&utm_content=A) and when I go to BSA Brand Center for photos under "Family Scouting" it is clearly based on 90% girls for Cub Scouts. Attached is a screen shot. (It is from https://scouting.webdamdb.com/bp/#/folder/3482216/) They couldn't show boys and girls together or a family with a son and daughter? I know this is for recruiting...but really? Is it just me? I mean none of this stuff is probably cheap. I'd much rather see something like @Cambridgeskip's picture of his "co-ed" scouts.

No. Another Mom. Sorry. Mom of fast advancing Scouts does not help out but she does have 4 kids so I cut her some slack.

Dang if I know. When my Son was SPL he kept asking the adults for some cost numbers on trips (for over a year). So he and the PLC could...you know....actually take ownership and plan trips with a budget (I know what a concept!). He got constantly stonewalled. I brought it up at committee as well. I think a lot of it was transportation costs...that has been a big cost driver, along with expensive 'group' meals (the popular "lets stop at Golden Corral on the drive home") and "we need to put the boys up at a hotel along the way". The solution is Patrol campouts. Amazing how cheap those got.

I predict girls will find a way to join Troops affiliated with this Forum before the official date by National.

We did that for the occasional Pack campout. There are Water Moccasins on site..you'd think Disney would have killed all non-animitronic life. Fort Wilderness had excellent bathrooms and clean up areas which made it a big hit with the Cub moms. You can see the evening fireworks from their too.

(BTW I do not think girls showing up in my Troop is the same DEFCON level as war with Korea) I think now the decision is made individuals can either live with or not. I feel sad if we really are losing something and sad for boys and scouters who may leave--on that we shall see.' I think speculation is fair given how many holes in the announced-so-far policy by National is at the scout level. I cannot figure if they are being stupid, intellectually lazy, or sneaky. I do not think they have a very workable plan and will make us figure it all out. I am not hearing much organizational wisdom trickling down to the Council and District level...at least around here. I do hear some genuine hurt feelings from long time folks who are not planning to make a fuss. Last night I was on a BOR (I know, I know as an ASM I am not supposed to be on it but they were short a person). The lad was going up for Star at 12. Fast tracking to Eagle but does everything he is asked (though pretty much the minimal on camping and patrol activities--you know when Mom asks when she can drop off and pick up at the campsite so he still gets credit for one night of camping) so he was gonna pass. A mom sat in on the BOR and didn't say much and was pretty tense. I respect this woman's opinion (she is also active service member single mom) so I asked if anything was wrong. She expressed her frustration over how the Troop and BSA in general has so enabled scouts to get Eagle so fast (the boy in particular attended two summer camps to load up on Merit Badges) that they are missing the point of developing leadership in scouts by going so fast and what is the point of Eagle if it is just an academic exercise. She makes her son 'do it the right way' and he is mad at her because he sees boys 2-3 years younger the same rank but less active in the Troop. She said the interference of the parents, mostly "remote control moms" were making it easier on their sons but ruining scouting. It is the same arguments we talk about here but it was refreshing hearing from a parent. (she also said she would welcome 'hiker girls' if in exchange we could just ban all the adults but a couple men). So...I reiterate the bigger threat to the program is the move away from the traditional program youth-led, mixed-age, patrol based outdoor program.

It has an odd off taste...I read it was based on quinine water. It can be cheaper to drink Beer. I'd like to save the sugar for the excellent chocolates over there. (I was just talking about this at the scout meeting last night!) When our family was touring/backing the UK a few years ago we lived off the sandwich combos. It was a fun part of the day trying to decide which Crisp flavor to try "hmmm look Prawn, English Breakfast with HP sauce all in one chip". I like the idea of calling together scouters...

I think some will. We have been getting inquiries. They may go elsewhere. But there will be some. @gblotter to make up for centuries of the past sins of male domination your 'collateral damage' to this generation of boys is not of consequence. It will only matter IF the drop in boys as a result of girls causes a sudden, large, and consistent drop in overall BSA membership that National cannot ignore. Anything short of that, including the loss of experienced scouters who walk away will be swept under the rug. Victory will be declared, further corporate donors will be secured,

To their credit ALL the adult scouters in our Troop keep their reservations to themselves. We tell the boys it is what it is. But their hearts are not in it. Though over half plan to walk they are planning to do it quietly. The ones who are complaining-and doing it loudly are the current Mom's. They are VERY unhappy and about 1/4 of them are GS leaders or former GS. They are talking about pulling their boys out for various reasons. We did not have this much fall out from the gay decisions, I think because we could just choose to ignore it. We lost a boy or two on that one but our Troop was 50-70 then. Now we are 30+ and 10 boys are in danger of leaving.

STEM SCOUTS ARE JUST LIKE REGULAR SCOUTS EVERYONE WANTS GIRLS FAMILY CAMPING WILL NOT AFFECT BOY SCOUTS TRADITIONAL SCOUTING WILL NOT CHANGE Yeah all of this should work...no problem... “Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.”

Sorry while you were writing that me and another guy just disrupted your job. Must be a good thing because it is a new change. All change is good. Stability is boring. Tradition is boring*. Are we addicted to change? Yea...we can quit anytime we want! (*tradition is great when it results in donations from misty eyed wealthy donors) The funny thing is BSA is saying they want to stay traditional and co-coed and membership has been dropping. GSUSA has always been progressive and female only and membership is dropping.

My son loved stalking tracking during the Centennial year. Almost every camp I have been to boasts a Blacksmithing station in the backwoods part of the camp and still display their sadly aging taxidermy animals. I wished they still had them as options.

They have completely muddied the message and when a few scouters from the Troop contacted folks at the Council we got mixed messages about "Family Changes" to the Boy Scouting program. They ranged from a "a more open family emphasis" to "nothing will change". Anyone else.

Yup. People just do it. It used to be assumed you would not show up without special permission. The words "ruined the camp-outs" have been bandied about. I will say some of the scouters seem to enjoy chatting up the more comely younger mom all weekend and let the boys do whatever...

Exactly. It is already happening...perhaps National is just recognizing the trend and embracing it. Maybe the "Helicopters have just landed" and I have been out maneuvered!

They'll still be good by Easter. Longing makes the wait all the sweeter. Don't do what my mum did in 1940 --store them under the bed next to the radiator. As for pancakes one son drowns it in faux maple syrup and the other in honey. As a diabetic I skip the whole thing. One of my wife's favorite V-day memory was the heart shaped pizza I tipped the pizza parlor into making the first year we were married. The guy signed the inside "Pizza by Gus". We were so poor an $8 pizza on our card table in the first apartment was living it up. I think I wrote a poem too and engraved it on a sheet of metal. Young love--that was 30+ years ago. <3

EXCELLENT sexy data...highly recommended viewing.