OldGreyEagle

Our troop uses a tiered system with those who sell more having a greater percentage placed in their personal accounts.

Maddoro, FYI, a troop that has a set attendance policy to qualify for scout spirit is NOT following BSA polcies and procedures.

Our Council has two separate meetings

"hope it lives up to the advertisements." Amen brother...

Great news Laura, To paraphrase a movie line, If you build it, they will come AND If they build it, they will stay

ACCO, Where are you doing your training, my WB course starts this week end as well

So, why would a troop not at the very least offer the opportunities for new scouts to become first class in a year?

Just as a capsule, so I am sure I understand. FCFY means the troop assures first year students have the opportunity to become first class during their first year as scouts. Implied is the troops program contains activities that the scouts will find fun. Then again, all of the troops program should be activities all the scouts will find fun. Is this the concept? What have I missed?

I agree everyone has to take responsibility for their own actions. I can see re-reading my post that you could think I was excusing violent behavior, I did not intend that. A better way would have been to say violence never solves any thing and all it can do is escalate. Everyone has their own experiences and takes away different things. I know that had firearms been available to me, you would know me as OldGreyConvict

And yes,I am hyper sensitive about fighting. I was the fat, pimply obnoxious kid who was the butt of many practical jokes. Maybe some of you out there would have taken delight in torturing me. Did it ever teach me anything? Only that bullies are devoid of intelligence. Somehow I wanted to make it stop for others. Other kids who are bullied become bullies themselves, because they want to share the pain they have received. I can in no way ever let a comment go by that fighting is an OK behavior. It aint and never should be.

And I thought I had an idyllic cildhood. I guess my mother should never have called the police because the neighborhood bully used me for a punching bag, he wasnt bad, just helping me develop character. Hard physical play is one thing, fighting only teaches that violence is an ok way of settling disputes. I learn that getting punched hurts, I dont want to hurt, so I try to get away. Adults say, hey, its just kids being kids, leave them alone. I still hurt when I get punched. I want it to stop. No one will stop it. So, I get a gun, next time I see the guy who punches me, I kill him. Two lives ruined because, after all, its just kids(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

Sctmom, I wanted to add this thought, if your son is still unsure of Boy Scouts, not as enthused as he was a few months back, remind him of the time he used his Boy Scout first aid training on the bike accident victim. You said he was thrilled and proud he knew what to do. Remind him that if he learned such cool skills in the first 3 months of being a boy scout, what else could he learn if he stays until he is 18. Also if possible have him read this, or at least read this to him. Dear Sctmom's son, Hi, my name in here is OldGreyEagle and I was a boy scout many years ago and I made Eagle. I am very proud that I attained this rank. As a boy scout I learned many things, how to make fires without matches, how to cook without pots or pans and how to recognize animals. It was the most awesome thng I did growing up. I also learned that I could do things that scared me at first, but then I found I liked them. I learned I could do more things than I thought, many times all you have to do is try and sometimes you do have to work at it, but then when something you have a hard time with works, its the greatest. I have a son, he is what they call dyslexic, it means he has a very hard time reading. He made Eagle this year and is on staff at the council's Junior Leader Training session. Things are not always easy for him, when he joined the troop he had some health problems that set him apart from the other kids. If you have some quesitons about being a boy scout, you or your mother can E-Mail him at Rosesngunns@aol.com and he will let you know how much fun being a Boy Scout can be (This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

Many times in many places in this fourm we have discussed discipline and what activities would cause a scout to get thrown out of a troop. The recent toad-killer is one and we have had older scouts defying authority etc. The common refrain is generally, we as the adult leaders as are responsible for the welfare of the troop as a whole and sometimes some kids just have to be dropped. My second most favorite magazine the whole wide world came yesterday (Scouting). It has a feature article on recognizing and dealing with teen-age anger. In the article it recounts a few incidents that I would thought would have got the kid the boot and instead, the scout stayed and made Eagle. If possible, can those of you who get the magazine read this article and respond with your thoughts? Are the expectations set by the article regarding dealing with anger reasonable?(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

What in the world did you do, or rather, what in the world do "they" think you did? You must have some idea, just how did it get this extreme? You said you were a bit of a free spirit, is this what they are referring too? Can you give an example of what you may have done that the SM and at least this ASM would make them want to shun you? I have to be missing sonething

As a divergent comment,,, Welcome back Le Voyageur, I hope you had a good summer

Rooster, I agree with what you say, so what is the answer?

As hard as it may be for you all to beleive, I dont think every Boy Scout meeting can be a rip-snortin' good time. Sometimes the scouts have to plan weekend campouts, they have to plan menu's and talk about what to expect at Summercamp. Having said that, there is nothing wrong with introducing a game at the end of each meeting. Something with a scout skill featured. Volunteer to your PLC that you will have a new game every meeting and you will teach it to the SPL/ASPL so they can teach it to the troop with you as the referee. Woods Wisdom has a bunch of games you can use. When you find a favorite, alternate it with new games. You have commented in the past of his ADD. Boy Scout meetings have periods in them where I can see an ADD scout going crazy. You have to stand still for the opening, for the pledge, for announcements, for closing. I can see this is no fun for even non-ADD scouts, see if you can make a game of him standing still for these periods of time. How are his other medical conditions working out? Could that be effecting him? Or the change to the middle school? Maybe somebody in his new school told him that scouts werent cool. Could be a lot of things going on. Boring meetings, as it has been enumerated many times is a killer, this may be your opportunity to seize a niche in the troop, funmeister!

If a scout completes all the activities for a rank, he has to have attended activties, and he has to have attended some meetings, just to get the items signed off. If a scout completes all activities required for advancement, how can you say he has poor scout spirit?

DenSoCal, I do not doubt your dedication or zeal, I see you have done great things during your tenure. I am talking about deadwood, not vibrant, nuturing leaders

It would have to be a chevy, remeniscent of the 89 impala station wagon with the fleur de lis hood ornament. The interior would be khacki, with the red piping from the old uniform pants. While it would almost have to have 4 wheel drive, it would also have to be a "green" car, a hybrid, gas and electric. The wheels would all be off set, so it would leave 4 tire marks as a nod to leave no trace. Never retracing the same path. The base model would be "The First Class" edition the next step up would be "The Star" the highest level would be "The Silver Buffalo" model. The only problem would be the financing plan would be "Life"

With all the silkscreening and embroidery done on hats and shirts, you do think a community patch should be an option, made the uniform more personal

To get this thread back on track, my ultimate uniform would be: Cotton or canvas pants, you know, the kind with extra, extra wide legs with 3 zippered pouches on each leg. They should ride extra low on the hips so the offical BSA boxers waist band can be seen. The waist band would be the letters BSA followed by a imprint of a square knot repeating itself. The shoes would be a white pair of K-Swiss. The uniform top would be a pull over, modeled on a hockey "sweater" although of a thinner material for summer and heated indoor wearing. The patches would go where they do now. For head gear a nice stocking cap would be mandatory, in red,or green, the color of your loops (just to be consistent)Oh yeah, did I mention the pullover still has epaulets on it? Anyway, make that the official uniform and I wonder how many troops would be in full uniform... until the fashions change?

My son loves the red beret, he got a couple off Ebay and started wearing it all the time. I had told him in my days as a scout, we had a Gung Ho patrol that wore the red beret's and only the Gung Ho patrol could do so. Well, the guys razed him about it unmercifully, he was told how "gay" it made him look. He still wore it, as it was as he put it, "his thing". Two years later about 5 guys now sport the red beret. He looks on it as his contribution. Didnt the army go to a beret as the official headwear? Any way, make the pants b/w earable, or at least come up with field pants and let the current pants stay as dress uniform pants.

Thats what I love about this place, always a challenge to what you thought you knew. In looking at the scout handbook, the merit badge requirement statement for Star reads: "Earn 6 merit badges, including any 4 from the required list for Eagle" Doest say you can only earn 4 Eagle required, just that at least 4 are required. For Life the statement reads "Earn 5 more merit badges (so that you have 11 in all), including any 3 more from the required list for Eagle" Again, I guess all 5 could be Eagle required, so by the time a scout becomes Life, he could have all the Eagle (11)required badges earned and would then need 10 "elective badges" Our Troop has been in the habit of filling in Eagle required badges on the spaces in the handbook that said Eagle required. I wonder if we have slowed down advancement that way. That a scout could have had 6 required badges earned, but because 2 were on the Life page, his advancement to Star was slowed. Will be something worth looking into.

First, Thanks for the kind words Bob, Second, I guess I am just trying to reconcile the anger. When I dont find logic, I try to instill some, perhaps you are right, bad manners are bad manners. Still food for thought, regardless of the source, should still be contemplated(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)