swilliams

My son is our Troop's bugler, and has been asked to play at the upcoming Court of Honor. Because our troop doesn't usually have a bugler, none of us is an expert on which calls are best played at which times. Although my son has memorized the description of when calls are used (in preparation for his merit badge) some aren't so obvious when placed in a scouting application, rather than military. Our thinking, from internet searches and the description of calls, is that perhaps To the Color would work well, played before the Color Guard posts the flags. If anyone could give additional insight or make other recommendations, it would be appreciated!

bsaggcmom and WonderBoy pretty much covered it. I'm just here to second Janome as a good choice of machine. My old machine was a $2,000 Janome that had all the bells and whistles. I used it nearly every day for almost 20 years (fashion background). It finally died, and Janome didn't make the replacement part for it anymore. I decided against a top of the line machine for my next purchase, and bought a very basic Janome. Love it every bit as much as the first one. I'd look at the 2206 as a starter machine. For the patches with a stitched edge - like most council patches or POR patches - I use a straight stitch just inside the threads on the patch. For the patches with a fabric edge - like our troop number patches - I use a zig-zag stitch that covers the edge of the patch. The backing on the patches will usually keep the fabric from fraying, but I like the added protection of the zig-zag, particularly if you wash the uniform a lot.

Just because you didn't hear it, doesn't mean it wasn't there. I never said anything to any of our leaders until this week, either, despite wishing my daughter could have the experiences her brothers will with Boy Scouts. She couldn't, so what was the point? Sure, we could have made noise about it and complained that it wasn't fair, but it's like my gruff old Command Master Chief dad used to say (repeatedly), "Life's not fair. Move on." My involvement with scouts right now is limited to awards chairperson for Cub Scouts, though I've volunteered to help with Venturers next year when my daughter joins, and to head up this transition at the Boy Scout level, and that help has been accepted. Last year it was Blue and Gold chair. Still, I get how tiring it is. (I also run the concession stand for Police Athletic League football for our town, and am on two committees at our elementary school.) What I don't get is walking away. Even if you're adamantly against this decision, do the boys you've worked with not still deserve your time and experience? (Not you, specifically, but all the leaders I've heard over the last few days who say they're going to walk.) The entire reason I wanted my daughter to have the same experiences is because I see how much the boys in scouting have benefitted from it. It's not in anyone's interest to let that be lost. I'll be doing my best to help our troop continue to provide the same amazing opportunities they always have.

We have the same situation - packs HAD been defined by which school you attended, but we've been taking boys from the two other schools since their numbers were too low to support a pack. Now having one of the other packs trying to get on it's feet again, this is worth looking into. I don't know their Pack Master beyond having worked together to round up unwanted Derby cars, and don't know who their committee chair is, but our own Pack Master does and they have a decent relationship. Meeting with our CC and Scout Master tomorrow night, though we don't really have any concrete info for Boy Scouts, so it's very preliminary. They've invited a representative from our charter. I'll report back- if there's actually anything to report!

This next year will be an interesting one for us, not only because of (potentially) having girls join. I say potentially because we have not yet had anyone approach us. What has happened in the last two years was that the two other packs in town have seen their numbers diminish to the point that both packs have been folded into ours. Just last week, one of the pack masters who had lost boys, but still had their charter, posted that they were hosting an open house to try and recruit and get their pack functioning again. Talk about being spread thin! Our former pack was based in Manhattan near Columbia College. It was tiny, and was pretty effectively run by only two people. They were the pack master, and the assistant pack master. The assistant pack master had a son who would sometimes come in and help with meetings. While, of course, this is far from the ideal, it worked. Rather than have pack meetings and den meetings, they held a general meeting every Tuesday. They would start off with an activity - usually a game of some sort in the gym. (Meetings were held in a church basement.) Then we'd have "den" meetings, which consisted of sitting the various dens at folding tables to work on a requirement. One adult took two tables, and they relied on a parent to fill in (usually my husband or I). In the three years we were there, we only had a single official den leader. Because of the small number of boys, it was actually possible to direct two groups of boys at a time. The pack master did her best to have the dens work on requirements where, if one needed more hands-on, the other could work more independently. We were a pretty rag-tag bunch. Many boys either didn't own, or didn't wear the uniform (despite trying to pass down uniforms). They didn't have, or didn't bring their books. They mostly managed to show up on time. We did very few camping trips because parents couldn't afford them, though we did manage to get enough parent help to camp Fire Island once. The big exception was Blue and Gold, which was pot-luck. For whatever reason, they were happy to cook.

Reading some of the responses to this, both here and in other mediums, has been interesting but not in a good way. So many defeatist attitudes, and so little faith in our own boys. About a quarter of the responses from supposed scout leaders leave me wondering if the person understands their own scout law? If leaders head into this with the expectation that it won't work out, it probably won't. I'll do everything in my power to see that this happens in the best way possible, and thank heaven we have a scout master who feels the same.

I completely disagree. I have a Cub Scout and a Boy Scout, and I also have a daughter who has always wanted to be a Boy Scout. I will fight for two things. The first will be for my boys pack and troop to remain as is. Boys only. The second will be to get a pack together for all the girls in our area who, like my daughter, are not interested in what Girl Scouts has to offer. Just because a parent has a daughter and wants them to have the same opportunities, that doesn't automatically mean that we want Boy Scouts to be anything different that it is for our boys.

Class participation was always part of the kids' grades in NYC - elementary school, so not the end of the world. One year my daughter came home with "meets expectations" instead of "needs improvement" in the class participation section. At conference I told the teacher I was surprised she was participating. He said, "She isn't, but I'm not going to penalize her for being who she is." I broke down and cried like a baby. It's been a rough road for these two kids, who are beyond the label of 'shy'. My other two are the complete opposite. We just returned from my older son's Court of Honor, where he 'bugled' for the first time. Yes, he messed it up a little. Missed the second high G, but he kept the timing and didn't stop, so I don't think half the audience noticed. Not too many of the boys are familiar enough with the bugle calls to know the difference. Maybe we can change that during his time as bugler. His scoutmaster called for a round of applause for the new bugler (among other participants), and while he turned bright red, you could see he was happy with the enthusiasm with which he was greeted.

Double post. Sorry.

My OCD doesn't like it, but that's how it's going to have to be - at least until we get a bigger shirt. Thanks to everyone. Off to get this taken care of.

Brand new scout parent here. My son has taken up the position of bugler for his troop. I can see how it may not be as time-consuming or require as much input as other leadership positions, but I'm glad it's an option for us. My son is a true introvert. Just knowing he will be the focus of attention, even though it's only for a few seconds of everyone's time, almost sends him into a panic. This won't be easy for him, but it will allow him to contribute in some way to the troop. He and the SPL agreed on which calls he would do, and when, and my son knows that he needs to show up a few minutes early, since he'll be starting meetings with the 'assembly' call. May not seem like much to some, but I'm very grateful for it.

Can't seem to post a picture, either. Looks like I need a bunch of help.

Thanks. It's not clear from the BSA illustration that the trained patch is on the cuff. I can move the council patch up by 3/16", but even doing that, it's going to be a really tight squeeze, and the bugler patch is going to sit on the cuff as well. Also, no space between council patch and troop numbers. I think I need a bigger kid!!

I sat down today with my son's 'Bugler' and 'Trained' patches, only to realize that there's not enough room on the short sleeve uniform shirt for all the patches to fit. His Court of Honor is tonight, and I have no idea what to do about the patches. Can anyone help?! I'll try and get a photo posted.

Don't get me wrong, he joined scouts because it was something fun to do, and he's been a scout since Tiger. He's equally excited about trips and loves the camping aspect of scouting. He was excited about getting his whittling chip and pocket knife. I don't see a problem with having a kid who looks at his possibilities and says, "Wouldn't it be great to achieve ____." With the crossing-over on Sunday, he was talking to some of the Boy Scouts who were there to welcome the cubs into the Troop, and afterward said he hopes he can get his Eagle. All I hoped for was some input into managing what I know will be a time constraint, assuming he still wants to be involved in music and sports.

Thank you for the words of advice. I try not to push my kids into anything, but let them determine what they want to do. It's because he loves scouting that he's expressed the desire to earn his Eagle rank. (If that's the right phrase.) I'm just here to try and help him as best I can, like you said at the end of your post. My younger son, now... I wish I could transfer some of the drive from the older one, lol. Little one just wants to hang with friends.

My oldest son just crossed over to Boy Scouts and, as of now, is planning on achieving his Eagle. He's also in honors band, swims and plays football. He may end up choosing on his own to forego one or two things, but for now he wants to continue music and sports in addition to scouting. I'm not too concerned about it for the immediate future, as he's just starting middle school in the fall, but I see where time may become an issue. I'd love some input as to what he can focus on now, so that if he decides to stay on the same path he doesn't become overwhelmed with a year or two to go. I know nothing about the Eagle requirements right now, but will be getting our handbook and having our first Boy Scout meeting on Tuesday. I thought it might be helpful, in the meantime, to get input from those of you who may be (or have been) in a similar situation. Apologies ahead of time if there's already a good thread on this. I'm not the best with the search function!

She's wanted to join Boy Scouts ever since we built our first Pinewood Derby car. I bought a kit for her, and she made a 1950's era pick-up truck in cobalt blue. When we first moved, we tried girl scouts, but our particular group isn't very outdoor/building oriented, so we were very happy when we found out Venturers existed!

We're relatively new here. Moved from Greater NY Council, Pack 520, after I got tired of living in the city for the last 30 years. Loving it here in Union County.

My oldest boy just crossed over, and I found some helpful information on this forum through a web search about Boy Scout badges and patches. Figured I'd probably have a few more questions as the years go by, so here I am. I'm hoping I might be able to contribute information at some point, but for now I'll soak up whatever I can. My younger son just earned his Webelos rank, and my 12 year-old daughter is looking forward to Venturers.