Good Turns

[LauraMO]

I'm a 1st year den leader & I'm trying to get up to speed on everything but the learning curve is pretty big! My Tiger Cubs received their TC badge at B&G and have since earned the Bobcat badge, which they will receive tonight. I overheard one seasoned scout mom say how she won't sew her son's Bobcat badge onto his uniform until he does, I think, 4 unsolicited good turns. After each good turn, her son gets to rotate his badge 90 degrees and when it comes full circle it will be sewn onto the uniform.

 

This is news to me. Are the "good turns" just good deeds or do they amount to something else? I've checked the Leader's Manual as well as this website, Macscouter & USSSP and can't find anything about good turns except for the Conservation Award for Packs.

[sctmom]

This is obviously a local tradition the mother is referring to. A good turn is basically any good deed, preferably done without being asked. Some people just have the boys do one good turn to get their Bobcat turned over. There is nothing written that says you have to do that.

 

[Bob White]

I agree with sctmom. The tradition goes back decades to when the bobcat was a joining pin not a rank badge. The new cub(Tigers did not exist at that time) would get the Bobcat pinned to his new uniform shirt upside down. Once the cub did his first good deed (a helpful act without expecting or accepting a reward) for another person, he would get to turn the pin right-side-up.

 

Now that it's a rank badge it's not quite the same. I have seen troops continue the tradition by using a safety pin to hang the badge upside down until the good deed is done and the badge is sewn on right-side-up. This is not required to do however and the badge can be sewn on correctly from the start.

 

Whatever you do DON'T turn the boy upside down to present the badge. This is a stunt done by some units that is expressly forbidden by the BSA.

 

Bob White