Col. Flagg

Don't forget to visit the observatory with your guys for some night time star gazing. You will see stuff you can only see on TV. It blew our guys away!!! If it means anything, I took my REI half dome and the 72" insulated air mattress. Slept like a baby. The ground was pretty hard but never felt it. HOWEVER, I will say that if you are side-sleeper, try out the air mattress or anything BEFORE you buy it. My buddy went through several of each before he found the one he liked that didn't have his hips digging him in to the ground at night.

Personally, I consider it a badge of honor NOT to be one of the Trantuete who consider those who have taken the course to be the epitome of Scouting leadership. My experience has show me that to be anything but true.

Focus on your Den and your family. After all, it is YOUR kid you are doing this for. The other kids in the Den will be along for the ride. If not one steps up to help, have Pack meetings be where the bling is handed out and nothing more. The good thing about Cubs is that people cycle in and out, so soon you should be rid of the dead weight. Just bide your time until you leave and then go and don't look back. It sounds harsh, but sometimes you cannot change the systemic apathy that might exist in your unit. You have to find the balance between beating your head against the wall and focusing your valuable time on those who appreciate it and matter.

Sorry, but after 30+ years in the business world taking courses from Drucker, Covey, Japanese Zero Defect Principle, an MBA from a top uni, working for a Fortune 100 company and oodles of training on management, leadership and such, I have zero use for wood badge. I've seen the curriculum, the hand outs, the games, the role playing, etc., and it's all bollocks. It might be good for a young person with no experience or those with no exposure to Scouting. But anyone who spend their youth in Scouts -- particularly in the 50s-80s, went to JLT, White Stag, staffed council or national camp, did high adventure, or even made Eagle -- wood badge does nothing but waste a weekend and give silver [insert animal] something to do. Spend the weekend with your unit. Both you, and they, will be better off for it.

I'd like to brag and say the US is one of the most dangerous areas to camp, given all the things we have that can cause harm. However, until you've been to Oz (Aussieland) you ain't seen nothin'. They have more snakes, spiders and swimmy things (crocs, sharks, even fingernail-sized jellyfish) that can put you 6' under, than the US has.

According to our last First Lady, stuff like that was bad for kids so she crusaded to have it taken out of all the schools, along with ice cream, french fries, pizza, etc. The inedible crappola that took it's place was a nutritious as a piece of shoe leather and about as tasty. Thankfully, that has been repealed and kids can now be kids again and bring to school what they darn well like. Appears BSA took a stand on bug a few years ago. Funny how so many American Scouts grew up on bug juice and didn't die, turn out to be mass murderers or overly obese. We drink more water today than we did back then, and yet kids (and adults) are fatter. Bug juice is the LEAST of the BSA's food problems.

I think many of us have been there. I cannot tell you want to do, but I can tell you what I did in a similar situation. I looked in to my sons eyes and saw that he loved the program. I looked at the other kids who had no idea all the BS I put up with, and they loved the program. I looked at the other parents willing to help...and I asked them to help more. There's a reason the phrase "For the boys" is often conjured during the Cub years. You put up with a TON of crappola. In the end, it is not for you or even for the other kids. You do it for YOUR kid...and that's all that matters. It *will* get better. It just takes time.

So I am old hat on camping in the summer in West Texas. Where are you going to be? BTSR? The REI Flash 72" insulated air mattress has done awesome in CO, NM and TX. It's a bit more than most but cheaper than the cots...easier on the tent floors too. Four seasons, plenty long and comfortable. At less than 9 ozs you cannot beat the weight, if that's an issue.

Leadership is many things. It is planning, development, training and demonstration. I not sure I agree that someone can fulfill leadership without being there. You have to execute and show, lead, explain, answer, etc., during the project to show and demonstrate leadership.

Isn't the "airing of grievances" part of the celebration of Festivus?

And having a man involved can't help them to realize that goal? Gee, imagine if the BSA said the goal of making men out of boys meant not having women around to impede that advancement were our narrative. The media and liberals would have a field day. But since we're just talking about "men" it's okay? C'mon. Either it's okay or not okay. It's not situational...or at least should not be.

I also do air mattress and chair instead. The cots are just too cumbersome for me.

True Story: In 2012 we were in a camp in NM. The young man teaching Geology appeared knowledgeable. The course was taught in a nice forest area, so I hung out (within ear shot) and just chilled. The first class went okay. For the next four days the class covered where to find diamonds, gold, iron ore and redstone in Minecraft...and how to craft things from them. I kid you not. We had a USGS employee as one of our ASMs. We offered the camp director his services to teach or help in the class. They refused. When we got home we met with all the parents and boys who took the class. We read them the section of the GTA dealing with MBs that were signed off but not really earned. We offered a class for all the boys (and others) affected, run by the USGS dad. Everyone got signed off. Needless to say, we won't be going back to that camp any time soon.

I have thought about this for a while. From my experience, I see the implementation of the Patrol Method (or lack thereof) being a function of a few things: Exposure: The use of the Patrol Method is also tied to one's experience in Scouting, and by that I mean the SM and other key leaders. If they were exposed to it as a Scout they are more likely to use it. If not, they really don't know what it is or how to use it. Training: Let's assume they know what it is, can they implement it? Do they know how to identify what phase along the Patrol Method continuum they are on? How do the get to full PM implementation from where they are? As @@TAHAWK points out, there is no standard BSA training on this subject. @@backpack may have some in his area, but it seems more grassroots than anything. Pride: I use the word "pride" but I really mean "ego" or worse, "existence justification". By this I mean that the adults leading the program actually WANT to be adult-led because it's fun for them. They LIKE being in charge and running things and don't want to give up the reigns. Frustration: The last group I see are the adults who want to use the Patrol Method, but they are impatient. They can be bothered waiting for the boys to come to their decision, they want immediate action. They get frustrated when new leaders are elected and you have to train them all over again to lead. They think the Patrol Method is the final destination, rather than something that is cyclical. Just because a Scout understands the PM does not mean when he first becomes a PL he's going to execute the PM perfectly. As folks have stated here many times, even if BSA came up with an excellent PM training module, and resurrected Bill Hilcourt to teach it, adults will pick and choose what they want to use and discard the rest. Sad.

All sales have a hook. Scouting is no different. Ours is range sports. If you can throw it, launch it, huck it or fire it, we do it. Makes kids insane and they want to join us to do it. We never have to worry about recruiting.

Good thing they didn't read the GTSS and see what else they aren't allowed to do. Squirt guns? Water balloons?

Well, when you have mainframes that have been running large parts of our government and financial services industry for the better part of 40 years, it's as much a conversation about then as now. Just sayin'.

They must have thought we were having issues with Delaware.

Riiiight. I am still waiting for the official word from my council on tour plans. Nope, I will continue tenting with Maj. Hollohan and focusing on my own unit, thanks.

But you need a gif to punctuate it or it does not work. [like how I tied the mic drop to Captain Obvious and the overall tenor of the thread?]

This supposes that the other units are designed to function the same way as the successful unit. Just because we are all BSA units does not mean we all function the same way. THAT is the fundamental flaw in the whole notion of how districts continue to operate, and fail. They have this misplace notion of, "Well it worked for T321 so T456 can follow the same thing and succeed." It does not work like that. You can throw as many volunteers at a problem as you want, but if you don't understand the root cause of the problem you are trying to fix -- AND understand that what solves the problem in one unit may not solve the problems of others -- you will never succeed. One of the many problems with districts is that they don't understand this. They either 1) continue doing what they've always done, 2) try something that's worked in one place without understanding why it won't work in their area, or 3) are unwilling or unable to do a root cause analysis to find the problem AND develop a solution that can be targeted to each units' needs.

In my areas the school district leaves how recruiting for such things can be done up to the principal. One school will allow table tops during back to school night. Another will only allow the kids to hand out fliers after school on select days. Where we are, recruiting works best in elementary school. Forget middle or high school as it is never worth the effort. Successful units will go beyond the whole "feeder" school/unit concept and branch out to a broader model. What works in my area simply won't work in other cities or in rural areas. There's no substitute for knowing the needs of your market and understanding how to plug Scouting in to that need.

Well, it currently reads: "No adult may share a tent with a person of the opposite sex unless he or she is that adult’s spouse." How about: "No adult may share a tent with a person they are sexually/emotionally involved with unless they are that adult’s spouse." Of course, that would mean anyone married more than 10 years can't tent with their spouse.

Actually, no it wouldn't be away from the kids. First off, the BSA frowns upon any displays of affection, whether from Scouts, Venturing or Scouters. Second, in many camps -- summer camps or monthly camp outs -- adults camp fairly close to the Scouts. Many summer camps have tents set up regiment-style, all lined up and near each other. Quite often the adult area is quite close to the Scout area. I have no issues with the BSA dictating only married couples tenting together, but frankly I'd rather just have them be equal about it.

Apparently so. Unless you are two men or two women. Then the policy does not even address that, so one is good to go.