DuctTape

The helicopter moms have devolved into velcro. No longer hovering and watching, waiting to swooop, but attached right to their kid. Only way to separate velcro is with a forceful rip. The good thing is parenting styles are never constant. The next generation will do it differently as will subsequent generations.

Andysmom, many of those characteristics you describe of problem adults are true, or can be true of adults with boys in the program as well. Thus the issues with adults are not related to whether one has a boy in the troop or not.

Adult leaders can be good, or bad regardless of whether they have a boy in the troop. Having one's child in the troop or not is not a requirement nor a detriment to providing the opportunity for a quality scouting program.

For pie irons "Smores" Bread slices butter peanut butter chocolate marshmallow graham cracker Butter slices bread and place in the pie irons. Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on each half, Add chocolate, marshmallow and a crushed graham cracker. Cook in coals. Be very careful when biting in, the insides will burn.

Or pie iron "smores" .

pack54... The one thing i noticed in your last posts is that these were MB's YOU wanted him to get done. What does your son want to do? Why does HE want to go to summer camp? The Scouting Journey isn't a trail to eagle or a list of requirements to check off. It is a journey for a boy to discover, grow and have fun. He should be the principal decision maker in this. While mom and dad can and should provide encouragement and advice, they should take pause if they begin to interfere by making the decisions for him.

Stosh you are exactly right about using a better meat. In fact, most of those started as a recipe which used something different but changed to hot dogs as a first step in the progression for younger palates. In my adult backpacking circle, I am sometimes called "the sausage king" because I almost always have some type of good german sausage as a base for my dinner.

I have a whole bunch more in my notes if anyone wants them, but the idea is pretty simple. Hot dogs, some grain, some sauce, some veg.

For those patrols who like hot dogs... moving to other sausage types is an easy step. Another idea is using hot dogs as the meat in one-pot meals. Recipes (amounts adjusted to number of mouths) "Hot Dog Stew I" macaroni hot dogs bell pepper onion spaghetti sauce "Hot Dog Stew II" Hot dogs onions bell peppers kidney beans tomatoes chili powder "Hot Dog Stew III" Hot dogs rice-a-roni peas onion "Hot Dog Stew IV" hot dogs sliced apples cabbage salt&pepper

No banned foods. But like Stosh, when the boys see and hear what the Old Gray Wolf Patrol (SM & ASMs) are eating, they try to emulate. Also, like in the extra food thread, menu planning for amount is important as is nutrition because it is the fuel for our bodies. When they zonk out after an hour due to their food choices, thisbecomes part of the after trip reflection. "Too bad the patrol was too tired to visit/do xxy, I wonder what could have given everyone more energy?"

I don't do a lot of trips where it is feasable to carry that weight. Even on canoe trips, there are multiple portages and a light duffle is still the way to go. I learned to cook on the open fire and using the simplest pans.

No centralized location. Patrols camp, cook and clean on their own. Most begin with 3 bins as that is all they know, but soon migrate away because it is inefficient and a pain to pack/carry.

I wont assume that the OPs observations are in error, nor will I assume that any observations can be extrapolated to the whole. I will however respond to the general idea of what about scouts who do not live up to the values espoused in the oath and law yet seem to be rewarded via advancement or other recognitions. It need not be all, many, or even a few, but if it is one how does this affect the greater good and what do we do about it. Often on this forum the values of scouting are touted via the mission. Issues surrounding advancement and scouts who may or may not have earned a mb, or completed a requirement, etc... Discussion about the faith, religion etc, sometimes get brought up mostly at the eagle bor level. However it seems that the most important requirements for membershipvand advancement are just "signed off". If a scout is not living up to the oath and law, if they are not growing in this regard, why are they signed off on the requirement of show scout spirit? It seems to me that if we are to be true to the mission of scouting, we should hold the show scout spirit requirement in very high regard for advancementvpurposes.

I havent been involved in cubs since the 70s. Is the comment above about after school programs w/ Y, and B&G club mean that cubs dont do their den meetings as after school programs anymore? Or was my experience an anomaly and they never really did?

DC, I can see you are having your fun at my expense. For the record, I do not use the term redneck. You alone own your hypocrisy, not I.

Pack, That is not remotely close to what I advocate. I apologize if anything I wrote led you to that belief. I am referring specifically, and exclusively to the use of terminology which refers to groups of people in ways which are derogatory to them.

No, that is a Reducto ad Absurdum fallacy. I am certain everyone here can think of certain terms which are so offensive and hurtful that even they do not use and likely cringe when they hear someone else use them. As society changes, there are other terms which people begin to realize are also hurtful and kind people will change their vocabulary. If someone without malice says something which is hurtful to another and is then made aware of it, a kind person will reconsider their usage instead of jumping on the "well don't be so PC" bandwagon. The calling something PC is an easy way out instead of considering how ones words may affect another. We cannot be perfect, but we can be considerate.

The term PC was created as a response to justify continuing to use terms that offended some. Just because a word or term doesnt offend someone, doesnt mean it isnt offensive or hurtful to another. When someone says that a word or term is hurtful to them, to continue to use it is unkind. Some try to justify their continuing use by raising the PC flag or some other justification. I choose to be kind.

You are entitled to your opinion. I choose to not stand silent when I witness another person being hurtful to another in words or deeds. More importantly, I choose to use words which uplift rather than denigrate.

While it may be fun to pick on PC, or even be a badge of honor to refer to oneself as "not PC", I think the fundamental concept behind it is sound. If calling someone something is offensive to them, why would we continue to refer to them in such a way as to be hurtful? I thought a scout was supposed to be Kind.

Based on the list of activities, it doesn't sound like the Band, Scouts and Church are all that much. I would sit down with the student and look at his monthly, weekly and especially daily calendar. In my experience, the most time is wasted in the afternoons and evenings during the week and not on the weekend activities. When looking at the calendar, also begin discussing "how much time do you think you should spend on xxx, per day/week/month". A week has 168 hours in it. It is about setting priorities, but is also about organizing. Since he is so negative about school, I would be good money he only does school work with you, and barely enough while in school to not get in trouble. A week has

I dont agree with part of the original premise, that patrols get hurt when only half show up for a campout. I think the majority of hurt is caused bymerging patrols for said campout. I have no objection to a patrol of two boys on a camping trip. The fun they have encourages their patrol mates to really want to attend the next one. I think a better solution is to prmote more patrol events instead of troop events. This allows more flexibility in scheduling at the patrol level. "What weekend is everyone free next month"? Then plan the patrol activity around the patrol members availability. I dont see the issue as overscheduled kids as much as I see it as lack of authority allowed to the patrols. Instead of the patrols dictating their schedule and activities it isdone at the troop level.

No reason why the boys can't plan the entire camporee and included in that planning is finding adults to perform certain tasks.

Sometimes it is not being aware, sometimes it is the events/activities are not desired by the units/boys. In our area, between the district and council there are too many activities/events planned at the levels above the troop. Looking at our calendar, every weekend is filled with some event. A troop which uses the patrol method will have many events and activities being planned at the patrol level and some at the troop level. Every so often they may choose to attend a district camporee or something. It isn't being unaware, it is the units operating as individual patrols and troops and choosing with their feet to not attend the district events. I don't think the goal should be "how do we increase participation in district event xxx?", instead it should be "What event(s) do the individial units desire the most?". Then focus on those.