TwoSirius

Thank you all - lots of good info here! I think I'll probably do it...I talked to my son to see how he would feel about it, with the understanding that I wouldn't be able to be his ADL next year, and he says that he would like it if I were the CM. As far as being his Tiger Cub partner, that's no problem. The current CM will be staying on through the rest of the year, and I'd be working with him and his wife as sort of a co-CM/CM-in-training capacity until I took over as CM beginning next school year. The current CM would also be staying with the Pack as a Webelos DL, so he'd be available if I needed to bounce anything off him. We do more or less have volunteers for all of the different positions. I'm sure I'll need to take some extra stuff on here and there, because that's just the nature of an organization run by volunteers, but I'll figure it out. The Advancement Chair has been involved in Scouting for years, and I know he'll help guide me as needed. I think I'll probably take the position. Public speaking is not a problem for me, so what worries me most is keeping it fun and fresh for the boys. Thank you all for your feedback! - Two Sirius

Our Cubmaster is stepping down, and last night before Pack Meeting, the Advancement Chair approached me and asked me if I would consider taking over as Cubmaster. I'm incredibly honored to be asked. We have such fantastic boys in our pack, and to be asked to serve that kind of role in their lives absolutely humbles me. I'm also a little terrified. I'm brand new to this, with just my one little Tiger Cub. Currently, I'm the Assistant Den Leader for the Tiger Cub den. Oh...did I mention that we have one of the largest packs in our council? What would this entail? In the real world, I mean. I believe that in theory, the main function of the Cubmaster is to run pack meetings, but I know that there usually ends up being more to it than that. Would it potentially interfere with my direct involvement in my son's scouting experience, and in his den? Thanks! - Two Sirius

Our pack does this. Since it's one of the first awards given to a Cub Scout, I always just thought of it as a way to help the newer boys understand what Scouting was really about. I kind of like it. - TwoSirius

I looked it up, and it's true - Assistant Tiger Den Leader doesn't seem to be an official position. I guess if that's really an issue, the CM will let the DL know...the DL is the one who asked me to do it in the first place, and I'll be handing in my leadership application to the CM this evening. It doesn't really bother me that the role isn't officially recognized, though, and I don't see that as a reason to take it less seriously, either. I don't think the DL's idea is for it to replace Shared Leadership - more like I'll be the one doing things like recording advancements, calling parents with info, etc. Which is perfectly fine with me. Either way, if I'm going to help out, I feel more comfortable getting registered and trained...if it were another parent, I'd hope they'd do the same in order to help keep a high quality level in our den, even if it wasn't an officially recognized leadership position. After looking at some of ScoutNut's faboo links (holy cow...good stuff there!), I'm guessing that maybe the best thing to do would be to take the Leader Specific Training classes for both Tiger Den Leader and Assistant Den Leader. That should cover the bases. I'll definitely talk to DL and CM tonight and see how they think I should proceed, though, and get that Fast Start training under my belt, too! - TwoSirius

Wow...thank you all so much! I'm feeling a little less overwhelmed by this now. Still rather freaked out, but manageably so. I've never even been to a "real" den meeting (the first one was mostly introductory for the parents). ScoutNut, I'm sorry, now that I reread my post I see that I was unclear...I meant that I've done Youth Protection Training already, because of the fact that I'll be leading the next den meeting. Not the rest of them, though. I'm still puzzled as to how much training there is to go through. On our pack calendar, there are several evenings of leadership training, but I don't know whether they're all different and I need to attend all of them, or whether they're all the same and just on several different nights to make scheduling easier. Tonight's our first pack meeting...looks like I'll have lots of questions for the DL and CM when I get there! And I'll be buying my uniform as soon as I can. Thank you all again - what a great bunch! I'm so glad I found you! - TwoSirius

Hey, all - new here! I got asked this evening by my son's Den Leader (he's a shiny, newly-minted little Tiger Cub...my son, not the DL) whether I would be willing to take on the position of Assistant Den Leader. Hold me. I think I'm going to do it, but I'm wondering about several things: I should probably plan on getting a uniform, no? Do ADLs typically wear them? Will there be books and manuals and such that I'll need to shell out for also? I'm sort of looking for a ballpark monetary expenditure here. I'm kind of tapped after outfitting my little guy, and would definitely need to do some creative budgeting. Our pack doesn't have a uniform closet, so that's not an option for me. And what about the roundtables and all that? How do the rest of you in leadership positions manage it, since the vast majority of you have kidlets at home that you're (we devoutly hope!) not chaining in the basement while you're gone? I just can't afford to pay for childcare that often. For that matter, how long do the roundtables usually run? Will I need anything besides FastStart, Basic Leader Training and Youth Protection Training, which I've already taken since I'm doing the next den meeting? I'm a working mom who's already active with the PTA, classroom volunteering, etc. I'm pretty sure this is something that I want to do, but I want to go into it with my eyes open and knowing what's involved. Any pearls of wisdom that those of you who are less green than I am could pass along would be much appreciated! Thanks, TwoSirius