HappyHitchhiker

All but a few of the boys are in 5th grade this year (2013-2014 school year). This den crosses over in December and so yes they will be WEBELOS for the summer and 4 months into 6th grade. The pack says they have until they turn 11 (give or take) before they have to move up to Boy Scouts. Crossing over does not involve any Boy Scout troop, nor are they at the ceremony. The pack moves up all the boys in February (at Blue and Gold) and they begin working on the next rank's requirements. The den leader will not accept any work done outside of the meetings and has turned the WEBELOS over to the boys to lead (with a little guidance with the hand and power tools).

This is what has been happening all year. He's not ready to go to sleep away camp. The den leader said these will not be covered except during the camp. Even if I could afford the $100+ dollars to send him to camp it would be a fight to get him to go. Since all the other boys are going by age rather than grade (most are in 5th grade this year and nearing 11) my son wants to hang back and not cross over until next spring when he finishes 5th grade but the den leader said he couldn't do that. He has to cross over with the rest of the boys or sit out of scouts until he turns 11. He has had options for hikes and local camping (with me) but has not been able to find a ride. It is frustrating. I am pushing him to grow up and be more independent but he can only mature at his own pace. I am sure he is not the only 9 year old who doesn't like being away from home for a week. He has been to Boy Scout events and loved it. He is looking forward to Boy Scouts. It's just defeating when the rules change depending on who you talk to.

While I agree that the boy is a "wimp" in most senses of the term, he is 9 years old at the moment. He has attended all outdoors activities the den offered and participated (he was one of the few able to start a fire with just his knife and magnesium) and is often the "checklist manager" for the boys (not to mention cook). His fellow scouts knows he just doesn't like to be away from home but he does his best to help others. There is also a big difference between 9 and 11 generally speaking. As a parent, I do not attend his outdoor activities because that is HIS time to grow and build self confidence in a safe environment. I am active in the den meetings and pack. He pitches his own tent, starts his own fire, cooks his own meals, and more when we camp in our yard. I do not know what the difference is to him where and who he is with (totally opposite of me at that age). As a parent, I want to see him accomplish his goals (which is to become a Boy Scout with his den) AND help him grow independent. I don't know if forcing him to go to the 7 day camp in order to earn his awards is the best move. I just don't understand why they cannot do this as a group in the den meetings.

I have a few questions (both as a parent and as a soon-to-be den leader): Parent question: What can be done to help a boy earn his Outdoorsman and Readyman badges for his AOL when he does not want to camp away from home? He is the youngest in the den and just does not want to camp away from home yet. As a family they camp in the yard, have a campfire, look at the stars, etc.. His den requires that these two badges be earned at summer camp (overnight) as well as the Aquanaut badge. The den leaders will also not accept any camping experience not done with the den. The leaders say that the boy is not fully participating in the scouting experience by not going to the cub scout family campouts or the week long summer camp. Crossover is in December (he will just be turning 10) and these things need to be completed this summer. Question as a den leader: This year was a mess (in my opinion) because the leaders turned everything over to the boys to do and plan. While I agree that the boys need to learn to lead others this seemed VERY disorganized. In 7 months the den has only completed 3 badges as a group (the requirements for WEBELOS rank). Can a den leader plan everything out in a time frame and then have a boy help lead at that time? I had a group of Tigers and Wolves a few year years ago and this is how I ran those. The current den leaders state that Boy Scouts is entirely boy ran and the leaders are there for supervision only which is what they do in WEBELOS so that the boys get used to learning from each other. I know it could take my son a whole day just to get dressed if I left it up to a 9 year old to do it on his own. This seems very inefficient. I will be a new den leader this summer.