Adults wearing uniforms to boost ego?

[CHLees3rd]

Basementdweller,

 

I have no idea if he will buy himself a Silver Beaver. Hopefully his council won't allow it to happen. Of course, in these time, every little bit counts! Anyway, my point was that the BSA came up with a way to reward financial donors without having to use the District Award of Merit or Silver Beaver. I remember hearing grumblings 20-25 years ago about people given the District Award of Merit because they consistently donated huge amounts of money to the council. Never understood why the council just didn't get a nice plaque for the donor.

 

I do not think it is ridiculous for someone to honor his/her young son with a West Fellowship and knot just as I do not think it is wrong to honor someone not in Scouting. The one contributing the money gets to choose and the reasons are all his or hers. It can be for someone's Godchild or the first boss who took a chance on him/her. Now the guy in the story Eagle92 mentioned purchased the awards for the knots. The only thing I felt when reading about it was how sad is that guy? He seems to have such low self-esteem issues and such a desire to be the center of attention that he was willing to spend $1000 on a small piece of material. That's sad. This guy will never be satisfied.

 

As for the guy's son, I agree that he will more than likely have issues due to his father. However, I seriously doubt the West knot will be the straw that breaks the camel's back. If anything, the knot will be one of many, many, many things that causes problems. I have known people in Scouting who were like this guy and I also knew their kids. The kids turned out one of three ways: (1) exactly like dad trying to one-up everyone in view with what they had; (2) couldn't stand dad's ambition for them and did everything in their control to hurt dad. One Scout I knew had older brothers who all aged out at Life. Dad wanted his son to get Eagle because it was Dad's last chance to have an Eagle son. Son did everything dad told him to do including completing the Eagle project. With two merit badges to go, the Scout just gave up and refused to speak to the merit badge counselor. The Scout aged-out as a Lifer just like his brothers. It was the ultimate one-finger salute I had ever seen by Scout to an overbearing dad; (3) act like their mothers and lead fairly good, easy going lives.

 

Chazz Lees

[Mr. Boyce]

In my book, you already need a strong ego to wear one out in public!

 

I don't wear a uniform to boost my ego, but rather to boost the organization.

[Woapalanne]

"I don't wear a uniform to boost my ego, but rather to boost the organization."

 

AMEN!!

[madmoose]

AMEN is right.

If I don't wear the uniform how can I ask the boys to wear it. As far as leader awards go, when I was a CM I had leaders who had never received knots they had earned, some didn't know they had earned them. I started awarding them in the Pack Meetings, the boys were proud to see that their leader(s) were earning awards as well. And it boosted the spirit if the volunteers as well. Some people do go overboard with row after row of knots, hey, to each their own as long as they are giving a quality program to the kids.

[83Eagle]

I realize this thread has died down but I'm new here and it was an interesting read.

 

As a DL I joined our pack and our CM was the only leader that wore a scout shirt. I didn't even know who the other DLs were and neither did the kids. I went and bought the whole uniform cap to socks and wore it proudly and I didn't care that it might look like I was trying to one-up anybody. The uniform stands for something and it should be worn proudly AND COMPLETELY by everyone who has earned the right to wear it.

 

Over the course of my service I've added everything to the uniform that I've earned. I tell the boys they should be proud of the uniform and keep it current, so why shouldn't I? I'm proud of it as well, even though I know the program is about the boys and not me. I feel that it's part of leading by example.

 

Our Den got red vests (no one else had them) and we started adding patches for every activity we could think of doing. Yes, they're called "brag vests" and maybe that term isn't real scout-like, but guess what? At pack meetings, the other dens would see them and ask abou the activities. And our den was proud and excited.

 

And guess what? Today all the other DLs have uniforms too--or at least an official shirt.

 

So, I see no need to downplay, omit, or apologize for anything that you are entitled to wear on your official uniform.

[Exibar]

I have to say that I'm proud to wear my 2 knots and my training patch&segments. I worked many years trying my darnedest to provide a sound program to my scouts. I tell my scouts to wear anything that they've earned and be proud of it, because the earned it. I've earned my knots and training patches as well, dare I say that I'm proud to wear them?

I'm also proud to wear my woodbadge training necker. My scouts see me wearing the proper uniform as their Scoutmaster, it makes them want to wear their uniform correctly and proudly too.

 

I think that I may also want the scouts parents to know that I'm not just sitting at home twiddling my thumbs in between troop meetings. I'm getting trained in every aspect that I can to help provide a better program, and a more fun and exciting program, to their sons.

 

I encourage all my leaders to wear their patches as well. I want to them to be proud to be a leader in the troop, as I am proud to be Scoutmaster, sometimes a little thing like a knot or other optional patch is all it takes to make a huge difference. As long as the patches are worn properly and to BSA regulations I might add :-)

 

Mike B

[BartHumphries]

Hopefully, they're getting some kind of an ego boost from wearing the uniform -- adults sometimes need additional motivation just like boys. You know Benjamin Franklin's saying, "Old Boys have their Playthings as well as young Ones; the Difference is only in the Price."

 

The very first thing is to tell a person about myscouting.org -- to register and take the Youth Protection course. It's take a max of 30 minutes, probably shorter. After that, I've emailed every new adult who's now in a position of responsibility in our troop or our allied groups (the Webelos, the Cub Scouts) and told them about the leader knots that they aren't required to earn, but that... if they did earn... everyone who saw them in their uniform would know that they were probably doing the right thing.

 

I tell them about the Trained patch and I send them dates on when the training meetings are going to occur in our area, also how much the two real life classes cost ($10 and $15). I tell them about the Scout Leader's Training Award and those other awards, depending on what they're doing -- the Webelos Den Leader I told about the Webelos Den Leader award instead. I also tell them about the adult religious award, maybe the Unit Leader Award of Merit, depending on what they're doing.

 

They take a lot of time so they aren't going to be earned tomorrow, but looking at the requirements gives leaders a good sense of things they should be striving to achieve over the next year or so, like "During at least one program year, have a minimum of 50 percent of the Webelos Scouts in your den advance in rank (Webelos badge or Arrow of Light Award)" or "Serve as a merit badge counselor for at least five Scouts". If those requirements turn out to the minimum that happened, GREAT! If they turn out to be the maximum that happened, well, at least they happened.

 

If they're not registered scouters, at least assistants to the assistants or whatever, if they're not actually holding some sort of position of responsibility then yeah they shouldn't be wearing a uniform. But there's always room for more people to come serve.

[tpriceii]

I have been involved in scouting as a boy and an adult volunteer. For me wearing the scout uniform is a clear demonstration of pride in belonging to an organization built on the strong character and moral fiber of its members. As an Eagle Scout I took great pride in wearing my full uniform merit badge sash and medals. I understood well some of my fellow scouts would be impressed by my accomplishements and be inspired to apply themselves earning their advancement. I also knew some would critisize me but I personally knew that seeral of them were only jealous and envious of my success in scouting. As an adult volunteer I view it as my responsibility to wear my class A uniform with pride as it sets an example to my scouts. I wear my embroidered knots for earning the Arrow of Light and Eagle Scout to show my scouts that these are accomplishments to pride even as an adult. Likewise I will wear my "Trained" leader badge and adult recognition awards with pride not for my ego, but to show my fellow scouters that I care enough about scouting and my job as an adult leader to take hours of training and volunteer hundreds of hours of service to make the scouting program the best I can for my scouts and community. I hope that by wearing these adult leader recognition emblems I will inspire my fellow Scouters to also get trained and volunteer hundreds of hours. Even though the embroidered knot generals may for some look to be self serving egotists, I look at them with pride and recognize the sacrafice and service that stands behind each little knot, badge, and medal they wear on their uniforms. I hope we never run out of these individuals for their accomplishments are Scoutings gain and the price; a certificate, a piece of cloth, and a bit of pride in their uniform and themselves.

[Rockford8070]

So what I am seeing is two negative arguments. "I am better than you because I wear all these knots." AND "I am better than you because I DON'T wear all these knots." Then there are the sensible replies.

 

11 pages seems a lot to give to this subject. Maybe you should move on if you have such resentment of people that wear/don't wear knots?

[jr56]

Sounds like a good summation to me