Well lookie what Scout found.

[Engineer61]

After nearly 7 months, Scout found his tent!

 

When they unloaded the troop trailer at Summer Camp, low an behold, there it was.

 

Only told him to check there on each of the last three trips.

 

Only had to tell him 4 times to put his gear back on the garage shelf. Last time under threat of just tossing in the dumpster.

 

Was the "parenting" or "policing"? I get so confused.

[packsaddle]

I'm trying to remember if I ever attempted to make a semantic point by publicly ridiculing my own son.

[Engineer61]

Ask me if I care what you think PS.

 

I find is ironically humorous that this great organization that's supposed to create great men...doesn't do squat to deal with everyday responsibilities. But I'm not surprised...BSA is too busy teaching faith-based intolerance.

 

Scouting is a waste of time and my resources.(This message has been edited by Engineer61)

[Lisabob]

Then don't be a part of it. You're welcome to that opinion, but you aren't required to support scouting. And even if you continue to support scouting (despite your opinion), if you think the organization is a waste of time, then why do you spend so much time posting on this board?

 

 

Actually I think scouting does teach a lot about responsibility, but a) it isn't an instant lesson and b) you can't expect an organization that spends, roughly, an hour a week with your kid to have a greater impact on his life than you do.

 

 

[moosetracker]

Wow! from lost tent to religious intolerance in one full swoop!!!... Oh well I found the comment intensly amusing Thanks for the laugh

 

 

So was public ridiculing by posting on the forum? That is not really public, as except for getting to know each others personalities quite well, few of us really know who we really are..

[packsaddle]

If you read my post carefully, you'll see that it was about ME, not anyone else. Engineer61 merely stimulated me to wonder if I've ever done something like I described. Evidently, though, it did hit close enough to home for E61 to think I was making an accusation.

 

Now I can understand if E61 thinks it was all about him. Perhaps that's his viewpoint, perhaps it's ALL about him. But evidently he did care enough to respond, lol. And evidently it did hit a nerve. Oh well....

 

Moosetracker, if I made the same statement and removed the term 'public', would it be OK then? If I were to ridicule someone in private, no one else would ever hear it or know about it. Do you think this forum is not accessible to the public?(This message has been edited by packsaddle)

[Narraticong]

As a veteran of nearly 45 years association with Scouting, I've never thought the goal of Scouting has been to create great men. I've always thought it was a goal to help boys become men who would be upstanding citizens and the kind of neighbor any family would like to have. You know, the kind of guy who is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful (you know the rest). But just like education and Faith, the foundation must be laid at home. That foundation work must be the labor of the parental units. No? Scouts, school, church can have little impact on the success of our children without involved parents. If your kid is unsuccesful in some manner, start looking for answers in the right place.

 

Ken

[Twocubdad]

Your stepson wouldn't listen to you and it's the troop's fault? I guess it's their fault if he doesn't brush his teeth either?

 

Just before summer camp I got rid of several boxes of lost and found stuff. I had been pushing some of the stuff around for better than a year. Multiple pleas to both Scouts and parents to claim their junk including two pairs of hiking boots, a sleeping bag, a really heavy duty duffle, a bike helmet -- some nice stuff. I don't understand how the heck a Scout "loses" an expensive item and the parent makes no effort to claim it. If we make multiple announcements that the lost and found will be dumped in 3, 2, 1 weeks, I don't understand why every parent isn't going through the pile. Seems to me the parents are just as indifferent as the boys. Their loss, Goodwill's gain.

 

I'll bet the Scoutmaster is wondering how you let you stepson leave a nice tent in the trailer for six months without claiming it.

 

And I thought you had made it clear here that you don't put any time or resources into Scouting anyway. So no loss, huh?

[qwazse]

Scouting in this context has served as a yard-stick.

 

It gave a boy a fairly simple "test" of his level of responsibility for his gear. Highly responsible (the end of the stick) would have been all gear returned to home and promptly placed in its rightful location. Completely irresponsible (the other end of the stick) would have been all gear set ablaze and left in a dumpster to avoid having to lug it back to the trailer. There are all sorts of marks in between.

 

The convenient "parenting"/"policing" served to point out to the boy which mark along that stick applied to the boy. Thanks Eng61 for providing that useful service. I assure you that there are some parents who don't even do that for us!

[shortridge]

Looks like E61 has left the building.

[noname]

Why hold on to his gear? Have the parent sign off they have all of his gear and Donate the gear to the troop! Donate the clothes, boots sleeping bag to the womens shelter. My favorite is have a burn the unclaimed crap ceromony. Just heard of that but thought I'd share it.

[Basementdweller]

scouting is less a waste of time than Little League baseball and cheaper too.

 

 

Well my scout if he failed to return with tent would have been dealt with in a serious manner from a parent perspective.

 

My scouts job when he returns from camp out is

 

1. get tent set up to dry

2. sort and wash his clothing

3. get sleeping gear set to air out

4. shower

5. take tent down

6. store gear.

 

 

Well if son came home with out tent.....He would have had it at the next scout meeting......I wouldnt have let it ride for any number of months.

 

 

So possible personal responsibility lessons that a parent could have used.....

 

Have scout call SM and ask if he found his tent and/or if he could open up the trailer, patrol gear to look for it.

 

If that fails have son purchase exact replacement from his allowance money or set up a work for gear program.

 

 

Not scouting failure but parenting. Remember we see the boys for 1 hour a week and one weekend a month, a parent sees them, hopefully, much more than that.

[resqman]

Let's see if I got this straight. Your son doesn't bring home a tent for 7 months and its "Boy Scouts" fault? Your son and you have no responsibility in this matter? It is all the organizations fault that a single member doesn't care about his personal gear.

 

Our troop holds a "garage sale" about every 6 months. All "lost and found" or left behind gear is sold off. If you haven't claimed it in 6 months, you must not need it or miss it. Money is used to buy new troop gear.

[Scoutfish]

Wasn't the troop's fault.

 

Wasn't your fault.

 

You told him how many times to look there?

 

Told him if he didn't pick his other stuff up it would go to the dumpster how many times?

 

This is all his. He owns that responcibility. I ghet where you'd think the troop or QM would have tosed it out or gotten on step son to take it home or at least get it out of the trailer, but again not their job.

 

Thing is, he's like my son: He knows the chances of it happening are either slim to none or that he knows I will say it at least 4 times before it really happens.

 

Only solution is to give him one shot ( on something cheaper , maybe?) and follow through.

 

So, where has he slept last 3 outings? Did he buddy up with somebody who has a better/bigger tent?

 

My son's tent is a 4 man tent that realistically hold 1.5 people with their gear - so he likes to buddy with another scout who has a 8 man tent ( realistically a 3 man plus gear). He can stand up c ompletely in that tent too so maybe that ha something to do with it.

 

Our tent doesn't get used much , but at least it's in the closet not a trailer.