SmallFryMom

I am so glad to find this site, and this thread in particular. I am the den leader for my son, who is AOL/Webelos 2. I took our den to visit all three local Boy Scout troops, and while they are all pretty different, I feel that they are all solid troops led by great people. The parents in my den are all leaning toward one troop that is mid-sized, but most of the boys, including my son, really liked another, smaller troop. This thread is helping me think through the pros and cons. My gut says to go with the troop where my son is most comfortable. Even if it is small. I know the Scoutmaster (he is our former Cubmaster and I couldn't have more respect for the guy - he is trying to turn this troop, which almost dissolved before he took over, around). And I think I just have to explain to the parents and boys in my den, that while it would be great to stay together in Boy Scouts, every Scout has to pick the troop that works best for him and his family. I certainly don't want to make anyone pressured to follow my son (though I would hope at least a couple of friends would join with him - I see Scouting as a great touchpoint for these kids as the enter the big world of Middle School!). Anyway, just wanted to thank you all for the advice above and welcome any other thoughts on my den's situation. The boys want to have a meeting to talk about it all, so I plan to give them some time during our den meeting tomorrow night. Any thoughts on how to facilitate that discussion to be most productive are much appreciated. Thanks again.