5thGenTexan

Its been suggested by PETA to the BSA that fishing should be done away with. https://www.peta.org/media/news-releases/boy-scouts-told-its-time-to-scrap-cruel-fishing-badges/

This morning was supposed to be a school wide assembly, however at the last minute it was decided to go to each classroom and give the talk. I am a DL so I didnt get to talk, but I did hear the talk 17 times and it was a good learning experience. We go to the other school this afternoon and I think it will be an assembly. I am anxious to see how many show up tomorrow night.

Sunday morning I IMed my CM and asked if we needed to even be concerned about this at the unit level. After reading the FB, I could get nothing out of it. He only suggested the impact on us may be how the DE changes his approaches in order to reach his goal. I am no fan of corporate doings anyway, so I am going to worry about this at all. I have a den flag to finish up. Our pack is growing and after Tuesday night I am sure we will grow a lot more. Where we are going to physical put new dens is on my plate. In short, I am just a Wolf Den Leader and I am gonna do my little thing and not worry about what the suits are doing with their word games.

We worked on a den flag today and afterwards I was sitting with other leaders talking and looked down to see the spot of glue I got on my uniform shirt. I mentioned and my CM took me to the uniform closet (a cardboard box in a back corner). I am the owner of two new (old) Oscar de la Renta shirts. Going to put velco on all three shirts so I can swap patches as needed. Times like today where I had a den meeting this afternoon, scout talks tomorrow and join scout night on Tuesday evening would save me a lot of washing.

This time last year my kid had not yet heard the talk at school about Cub Scouts and being a leader wasn't even on my radar. Tomorrow I will be in full uniform with my DE and CM for Boy and Girl Scout Talks at two schools.

We are staying with yellow this year. Never gonna see that red stuff. My own kid has a recycled yellow neckerchief anyway... It was mine when I was a Wolf in the early 80s.

OK, I am going to send out an email. It would probably help if they work on this at home. My boy says they know O' Christmas Tree from school, so they already know the tune, just need to learn the lyrics

Next question is... do we learn the usual Scout Vespers or the Cub Scout Vespers? As the night comes to this land, On my promise I will stand, I will help the pack to go, As our pack helps me to grow. Yes, I'll always give goodwill, I'll follow my Akela still. And before I stop to rest, I will do my very best. As the night comes to this land, On my promise I will stand. I will help the Pack to go, As our Pack helps me to grow. Yes, I'll always give goodwill, I'll follow my Akela still. And before I stop to rest, I will do my very best.

I am entering my 2nd year as a DL. When its hot I wear some green Columbia shorts. I have pair of BSA zipoffs, but I prefer my 5.11 pants if I am wearing long pants. Dont have to pull em up as much. Have an AOL Knot. Today I attended the funeral of a former Troopmaster for our Troop. Full uniform was requested and I went out and bought a blue Cub Scout Leader neckerchief just for today so my uniform would be complete, although I did wear my 5.11 pants.

Is Scout Vespers too difficult for Wolves or can they handle it? Working on my campfire program.

Do my issues flare up due to camping? My first camping trip was 1976 and all though the late 90's. Then kinda quit because of getting married and everyone in the family just didn't want to do it anymore. Even did several campouts when I was a Cub Scout /Boy Scout. Being an adult I have a whole new set of worries. One is YPT (I am not creepy or anything)… My son is a Wolf but still not as mature as the other kids and he simply wont go to the bathroom alone. When we went for Tiger Day last year at the nearby scout camp I waited for everyone to leave and went in with him and he still wouldn't go on the open latrine. So, do we just not use the showers or restroom all weekend? Also worried about eating. Not eating enough really is an anxiety trigger for me. Its not a medical problem really, I just overreact when I start feeling that "I need to eat" feeling. Now the really bad part. There are two of us in the den. We are both Den Leaders, neither is really designated as "assistant". I was at every single den meeting last year and took the lead role because at the beginning he wouldn't take part in planning so I just did what I needed to do to make things work. He /and son missed den meetings for whatever reason, missed Blue and Gold and Scout Sunday (same day). The pack made the decision to award rank in Feb if the scout was close and they were to finish up before the end of year. He was under the impression that close enough is ok and his kid never did finish Duty to God as far as I know. BUT He has taken his kid on the campout and more to the point did attend the BALOO /IOLS weekend this Spring. Our CM and ACM were both instructors so they knew he was there and completed the weekend. On the same token they know I was not. In my mind he is now a more trained leader than I am and my lack of attendance reflects poorly on me. Today they are at Cub Resident Camp and here I am at home on the internet. Didn't feel up to a 3 day event yet and my wife couldn't get off so there was no one to watch over my daughter. If I were to step down I am not sure I could serve in another capacity. The embarrassment of being labeled a quitter could prevent me from showing my face up there again. I am still going back and forth. My son has said he doesn't want to stay in if I am not a leader. But like today, I feel really guilty for not being at Resident Camp for him and the rest of the pack that is there.

I was a DL for my son's Tiger Den last year but I am thinking I am done. I enjoyed last year, but I had a medical thing earlier this year that made my anxiety issues get pretty bad. I worry a lot about what might happen. What is I don't get enough to eat in camp, what are the bathrooms like in camp, what is I get too hot in camp, etc.... So, I have had to accept that I just can't go. Likewise with training. Missed Adult Leader Training this Spring that included BALOO, IOLS, etc because I didn't know what to expect and the unknown is a problem for me. Wood Badge is just about out of the question. Since I can't get the training needed I know I need to get out. I didn't have a very high opinion of myself before and this just adds another tick mark in things I fail at. So, when you are wondering about why leaders quit ( there are threads about that issue here) they may just be bad people that cant do the job.

Its my understanding that a unit should not solicit donations from businesses that would directly benefit the unit. Is that correct? I am planning a bicycle rodeo that will serve to promote safety and skills. This started out just for the pack, but I have contacted the local PD for their assistance to make this more of a community event that will benefit everyone. Would it be proper to solicit donations of stuff like helmets as a giveaway items?

Our CO is ok with girls. However we don't have the space or leadership. If we have an interest and adults to volunteer we will go from there appropriately. However we are not going to actively recruit girls.

This isn't directly related to Scouting (yet), but it does illustrate the path the risk lawyers seem to be taking the world down. https://www.newsday.com/news/penn-state-says-wilderness-is-too-risky-for-outdoors-clubs-1.18219199 Penn State conducted a "proactive risk assessment" not based on any previous participant injuries, according to Powers. She said Outing Club activities were rated high risk because they take place in remote environments with poor cell service and distance from emergency services

Today was pretty much the first sunny day in many many days. May have something to do with it. The boys were all over the place today. I think each boy was also threatened by their parents that they were going home if the didn't settle down. One scout did get pulled out halfway through the meeting by a parent (another leader) then made the boy come apologize after. It was nice to see all the parents stepping up and trying to keep their boys in line.

I was a new Tiger DL this past October. I went down and bought the Den Leader Guidebook and put it in a 3 ring binder and even took it to a few meetings. I was sorry I wasted the money after I really looked at it. On my own I determined I could plan my meeting and conduct just using the Addendum. I wonder if who wrote the DL Guidebook has ever been around a room of 1st grade boys.

The following is what I came up with last night. This began with thinking about planning for next year when my Tigers are Wolves and I just went crazy. Thoughts? I have never been a goal setter, just never got the hang of it. I guess I couldn't see far enough ahead to make real goals. When my daughter was born in 2008 we decided I was going to be the one to stay home, so I have gotten in a rut since then, not doing much aside from hanging around the house. Last fall the boy came home from school wanting to join Cub Scouts after the talk they had at school. Not long after I "joined" cub scouts too. My anxiety has reached new levels since then going to scary Roundtables and being front and center for den meetings. BUT, I feel I have done surprisingly well connecting with my Tigers and communicating well with the parents. HUGE accomplishments for me. At our Blue and Gold over the weekend I even survived being in front of EVERYONE without collapsing. Today I started thinking about how and when I really need to start planning what I am going to do next year with we start the Wolf program. Which in turn lead to Scouting goals that I can make. This year (May I think) I will complete BALOO and other courses, not sure what all that weekend will cover, but it is more than just BALOO. I will also complete an Adult / Child CPR/AED First aid course with certification. Next Year I am going to make every effort to go to Wood Badge. I am a non-swimmer, this was a big limitation when I was in Boy Scouts. To that end I will do what needs to be done so that I can pass the BSA swim test. I don't really care if I swim recreationally, but I will make it a personal priority to pass that swim test. My son will be a Wolf next year, and although it shouldn't take that long I have 4 years to achieve my next goal. I will at the very least complete the requirements for the Scout through First Class Badge. I know I can't earn the badges, but that does not mean I can't do the work. These goals will help me in Scouting as well as become a healthier happier person.

Yesterday in a FB cub leader group someone suggested that maybe BBs should be removed from cub scouts as a way to prevent school shootings. BSA shouldn't be promoting the use if firearms or something of that nature.

Our troop is in the same building as the pack. We have a scout hut where everyone goes. More than likely some of us will move up by that time. Additionally I think the pack and the troop are going to be on the same page pretty much. The troop was at our pinewood derby... They did the flags before we started and helped keep the cars in order between races. So the pack and troop do work closely already.

"Sit upon" Sit Upon Saw another jewel the other day where someone wanted to make paper dolls so her den could dress them up to illustrate differences. Or something of that nature. It really scares me what some people are doing.

No, not talking about cutting them loose and do it on their own. Its my understanding each den will have its own cookbox. The campout that isn't going to happen this time we were going to cook breakfast and dinner at the den level. Tigers do Tiger Bites so they have (at least mine do) an understanding of what is healthy and what isn't. I see no reason they can't help plan the menu. They can't cook but in instances they can sure help prepare. Foil pack meals come to mind. If each den had its own dining fly to set up.... Tigers can help unfold the tarp, they can help straighten lines, etc. They cant drive stakes or set poles upright. They can start seeing how a particular knot is used. Start learning to work as a team with a tangible goal. It didn't happen this year but next year I fully intend on Denner elections on a regular basis for their Wolf year. I think there is a lot that can be done that is age appropriate while preparing for the eventual crossover to the troop. I do not believe making "sit upons" does anything to achieve that goal. Yes, I saw this week on FB of big plans to have a den decorate a bucket and make a cushion seat with pretty fabric.

In our pack its been kinda decided the Webelos are going to adopt the patrol method and start learning the real skills they need before joining the troop. Its also been suggested that the lower dens are going to act as patrols. Instead of one person cooking for everyone each den (DL) will cook for themselves. Our. Campout for this weekend was cancelled because its supposed to be wet and cold and seems like everyone has been sick. So we are going to just do a Beaver Day work day at the local camp. I was planning on taking a 10x10 popup canopy to cook under and a place for people to get out if the rain if needed. I never felt good about it but it would have been the best option. I want to propose to my leadership we put together a real dining fly or two. Webelos should be able to or learn quickly to set one up. I would like for my Tigers to be introduced now to the idea. Its something they can help with unlike cooking or anything with fire at this point. Start at the very least seeing what different knots are used for, start working as a team to complete a task. By the time these Tigers are Webelos they would be able to show up at camp and setup quickly without thinking about it. Also think a nice dining fly setup would be awesome during out city festivals. Would be a more impressive display than a popup canopy and a table.

Update: of 17 Tigers 10 will be awarded the rank. 4 never showed up after recruitment and 3 didn't show up but a couple of times. AND I can call em all by name too.

1st of all I'm a first year Tiger DL that has been involved all of 5 months now. I don't know enough about whats going on to have any valuable input in the meeting. As far as I can tell DLs aren't voting members. I kinda feel I would be better off waiting for the CM telling what I need to know. Already in IMO overstepped by asking the CC something and he told me it was something to bring up in the committee meeting. Last night it came to me that I had too many ideas and just making the CMs life harder than it needs to be. I feel like I haven't served the time to deserve to be in that room and as a newbie need to keep my ideas to my myself... In a nut shell.