BetterWithCheddar

@qwazse, I see where you're coming from. I've only returned to Scouting as a parent for the past 2 years. Everything is expensive today except Little Caesar's.

I'm suggesting it's OK for adults to express reservations about membership changes online or in a Zoom meeting, provided it's done in a tactful manner. There is no need to "crack down" on them unless their comments target specific youth members or are deliberately hurtful. If you feel a youth in your area has been treated unfairly, by all means intervene on their behalf. Scouting would not exist in some communities today were it not for some of these "old school" scout leaders. Change takes time and I'm not sure you can get there by extinguishing dissent.

Change takes time. If you want people to embrace it, they need to feel like they have some control over their change. In the long run, it's better to earn respect than have it legislated. As a teenager, I thought homosexuality was a morally grey area - then I actually met a few gay people and realized "oh, if so and so is gay, it can't be that bad." A few years ago, I hired someone who happened to be gay. They turned out to be the best direct report I've ever had. My opinion of them is sky high. Today, I would wear a rainbow t-shirt and march in a parade with them if they asked. Had I seen more PowerPoints and pamphlets in my youth, I doubt I would have arrived at this level of acceptance / advocacy any faster. 🙂

My favorite events are ones where I can just show up with my son and be a dad. I would gladly pay more in fees if it resulted in better, more frequent program opportunities at the council and district levels (unclear if that's the case). I'm a pretty frugal guy with a regular job and $165 doesn't seem that ridiculous by today's standards. Anyone else ashamed to admit what they spend on youth sports or their pets? 🙂

Gosh, re-reading this thread 2 years later brings up some strong opinions: 1) I can sympathize to some degree because I've got a 1st grader who doesn't like going to school because of a few peers who play rough at recess. We've expressed some concerns, but have been rebuffed. I'm not sure I can tell him to stand up for himself because as soon he's seen pushing another kid, it would be our luck that the playground supervisors FINALLY assert themselves and he winds up labeled as the aggressor. 2) An adult bullying a child over the color of their t-shirt is definitely not OK, but if a single incident results in a YPT violation and report to the council, we're going to run out of leaders fast. My biggest fear as a Den Leader is that one poor choice of words (or stroll into the wrong latrine) lands my face in the newspaper and makes me a social pariah.

I'll admit the egg hunt is a bit outside the box, but I would imagine adults only fundraisers are common in most councils. Golf outings or wine tastings have obvious appeal to parents. Mom and Dad have money. Kids don't. 😛

I think what @Mrjeffmay be hinting at is that if you disagree with some elements of a DE&I initiative and voice your concerns in a tactful manner, you still risk being labeled the "worst type of person imaginable." There is no room for discourse in some public spaces and I find that scary. As a moderate conservative myself, I share some of his concerns (and wouldn't mind engaging in productive discussion around the others). Ultimately, it probably behooves us all to be 10% kinder and 10% more understanding (and maybe to love one another ... where have I heard that before? 😉) Even if you believe public schools are overstepping, you are still your child's first and most important teacher.

Welcome @niagarafalls! Scouting and Sports don't have to be a mutually exclusive (although I understand hockey to be a totally different animal). Unlike youth sports, it's OK to take a break from Scouting for a full season. If the BSA is going to survive, it needs to be OK being every kid's second favorite activity. Missing a Cub Scout Pack or Den meeting is inconsequential, IMHO. Provide the parents with the rank requirements that were missed and ask them to complete them at home on a best-efforts basis. It gets a little trickier in middle school and high school because a Scout may not advance as quickly as their peers, but if they are willing to communicate their availability with their SM/SPL and do extra work when their schedule permits, there's no reason why they still can't earn their Eagle Scout award before age 18 (even if they are only active 6 months per year). Something like ~70% of kids drop out of youth sports before high school. I bet a fair amount of them would have made fine Scouts. We juggle Scouts and youth basketball in our household and, at some point, I expect my son to go all-in on basketball because most pre-teen boys have a natural inclination to compete, dress like their friends, and impress girls. When that time comes, I don't mind paying for all of the camps and travel opportunities. My only conditions will be 1) he's got to be respectful to his coaches and peers, 2) he's got to let me know if it stops being fun, and 3) he's got to participate in Scouts or a second non-sport extracurricular when his schedule permits (to give himself options down the road).

That is the way. 🙂 Below are two hypothetical conversations between my wife and I: Conversation #1: BwC: I need to go to camp on Saturday for some adult leader training. Mrs. BwC: I don't think so. Conversation #2: BwC: I need to go to camp on Saturday for some adult leader training, but they have some outdoor activities planned for the boy. Mrs. BwC: OK, when should I expect you home?

It would be nice if the district or council set up a parallel activity for scouts while their parent is being trained. Any onsite training, round table, etc. is a tough sell to my wife. Most parents either need to be working, taking care of the house, or spending time with their kids. The only reason I'm talking about Scouts online with internet friends right now is because everyone in my household is still sleeping.

When a person accumulates that much influence, they can probably earn that much through a combination of teaching, consulting, and board service without ever accepting much responsibility again. I give him credit for pursuing a meaningful second act.

I have a good relationship with my DE. If I text him, he will respond within an hour without fail. Even though he works evenings and weekends for what I'm sure amounts to less than $15/hour, he always makes volunteers feel acknowledged and appreciated. If we see him at a district or council event, he greets my son and I by name.

@JesseMills: I think you've correctly surmised that OA isn't the right activity for you; however, if you have skills that may be useful to an OA Lodge, you don't necessarily need to be an OA member to help out (provided your registration is current). Not every adult who cooks a meal or runs a chain saw at an OA event is a member. Maybe start by accepting an invite from the lodge to observe an event or help out at a work day?

It's OK to raise an eyebrow at the situation, but I 100% agree with Fred here - start with the why, first.

Try emailing a volunteer or two from your home district. There are probably a few contacts posted on your home council's website. They might not have official stats, but will probably be able to provide their own word-of-mouth account of what happened to a troop in their district.

With due respect, are that many people going to be upset with the removal of the Bobcat Badge as a rank? I've always thought of it as a bit of an "odd duck" among Cub Scout awards. The diamond of "Lion, Tiger, Wolf, and Bear" is going to look sharp and show an intuitive progression through the program.

I assume Cub Scouts won't repeat the same requirements every year; rather. they'll build-out their understanding gradually in age-appropriate increments. True, but I think a lot of Cub Scouts appreciate the instant recognition that the belt loops provide.

This is the first time I've seen the Badges of Rank requirements lined up side-by-side since I returned to Scouting as a parent volunteer. Obviously, there have been a few changes since I was a Cub Scout and this view is really helpful. I assume Cubs would wear the Lion, Tiger, Wolf, and Bear rank badges in a diamond? I think that will look a lot sharper than having the Lion strip dangling below the other badges.

Thanks for the follow-up. Were it not for my involvement as a youth, I think my wife would be more apprehensive about our son joining Cub Scouts ~ the constant barrage of Abused in Scouting commercials greatly impacted her perception of the BSA. Cub Scouts has been a source of joy for my 1st Grader, but my wife remains skeptical. She often cites the "weird vibes" she picks up from a small number of people, although most families we've met through Scouting have been great.

Thanks for the input. Another challenge I grapple with is getting Scouts outside. Once the school year starts, it gets dark and cold (at least in the Upper Midwest). We could schedule a few one-off outdoor Den meetings on Saturdays, but I worry that would complicate family scheduling. Right now, our Pack has a leader call on the 1st Tuesday of the month, a Pack meeting on the 2nd Tuesday, and Den meetings on the 3rd Tuesday (so Tuesday = "Scout Night"). My multi-year plan as a Den Leader is to "ramp up" with more meetings / outdoor activities as the kids get closer to Scouts, BSA, but right now, I'm just trying to make our monthly Den meeting at the library as enjoyable as possible while checking the boxes on some Tiger requirements.

As a youth in my home council, each camp staff also had a Venturing Crew. This may have been an attempt by the council to juice up its unit count in the early days of Venturing, but it also allowed staff members to register with the BSA when they were no longer affiliated with local units. This mainly covered college students who became estranged from their Troops, but a few junior staffers from weaker troopers opted to shed their Troop-level registration in favor of the camp-chartered Crew. A small number even completed their Eagle work through the Crew. Is this still a thing?

The easiest way to ensure a child's activities are safe is to volunteer. You don't have to be a registered leader to show up and help ensure kids are having good, clean fun. My son's other big activity is basketball and I have no desire to be a coach; however, I don't mind being a "coach's helper," parking lot attendant, usher, etc. This isn't a big time commitment. I was already planning on being there and reading a book in the corner. If you need me to put out some cones, I'll gladly put out some cones.

I agree with @InquisitiveScouter. If your son enjoys the comradery of scouts his own age, is there a Crew or Ship nearby?

May I ask: What does your husband need to see in order to be convinced that Scouting is safe for your child? Is there another pamphlet, training video, or 60 Minutes interview that's going to put him over the edge?

I work for a large financial services company. They spend millions of dollars on cybersecurity each year. Recently, my employer opened a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility dedicated to cyber defense. One executive suggested we drum up some good press by inviting the media to tour our new facility. He was vetoed by the CEO. The financial services industry doesn't want to advertise how much they spend on cyber defense because, after a certain point, it causes customers to question the safety of their funds. I think the BSA is getting diminishing returns on their youth protection efforts. I applaud them for taking YP seriously, but if they have to remind people at every turn that Scouting is safe, it's going to raise some eyebrows. They need to strike a better balance, IMHO. Since the BSA will never satisfy its harshest critics, maybe resources are better spent on the families that actually want to be part of the program?