mjengels Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 My son just earned his Wolf Badge and the other kids in the den are not even close to earning theirs One of the parents say that he can not get his badge until all the other kids ern theirs is this true. I dont agree with this. My son wants to do the activities in the book and the other just dont care. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SemperParatus Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 Absolutely not. Your son should be presented with his Wolf Badge at the next Pack event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molscouter Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 Semper is 100% correct. You will also likely find that once one boy has earned a badge of rank, the rest get in gear quickly. I would also be willing to bet that many of the others are a lot closer than they think. At the Wolf and Bear levels, a lot of requirements are things that the kids are doing at home or in school anyway. Akela (Parents) just need to look at the book and figure out what is there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleInKY Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 I've been beat up on this subject before. I love doing big, nice ceremonies. But it's nearly impossible if you have to do two or three at every pack meeting from December to May. Therefore, we did one big recognition at a time when all or most of the den had achieved the rank. If the boy wanted the patch ahead of time, we usually just presented it at the den meeting. I think I had one parent complain in five years. That doesn't make it right, but it did make it work well for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cubmaster-Fred Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 Never ever hold back something a boy has earned. The other boys could have earned it by now if they had also worked hard. Like it has been said, the other boys will be spurred on to earn it now. Eagle, I hold the same ceremony everytime a boy advances, no matter if I have to do them every month or not. The object is to recognize the boy when he earns it, not wait until it is convenient for someone. I feel that giving the boy the patch in a den meeting dims the meaning of the ceremony. Fred (just MHO) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advancement_Lady Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 Immediate recognition is always best. We have 12 wolves in our pack and only one of those has earned his wolf badge. Same goes for our bears. The others just dont care or the parents just dont have time to sit down with them and help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johndaigler Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 UNFORTUNATELY, we award Bobcats in Nov. and everything else to everybody else at the BnG. BUT... at the BnG, our CM crosses over, the CC becomes CM, and I become CC ... Hmmmmm ... I wonder which will be the first bad habit that feels the mighty axe of my wrath????????? (In a collegial, consensus building, teamwork kind of way, of course!!!!) mjengels - Everyone here is, as usual, right on the money. The Cub should receive the award as soon as possible after earning it. Check out the political realities of your Pack and then start showing people the rule books - start with the Wolf Handbook, pg. 107. The only exception I've found to the "earn it, wear it" rule is the Bobcat - which can be efforted in the Tiger handbook, but cannot be earned until the great Scout computer in the council office interprets the Cub to have entered his Wolf year (June 1). jd EagleinKY, I feel your pain, and understand your choice. I wish I had plan to bring you back to the light! Keep thinking about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johndaigler Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 (This message has been edited by johndaigler) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleInKY Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 no worries... I'm a few years removed from that position. Maybe my successors have improved on my ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 Not only give him the badge soon, at the next Pack meeting celebrate it! Make a big deal of it...We also use the BSA immediate recognition kit system ...the beads give the boys a lot of motivation to complete the rank requirements (if "Chris has four beads ...I'm gonna earn five!" really works!). If on of the boys wants to wear his patch before the pack meeting he can and we 'award' him the 'mothers pin' and his card at the Pack meeting. Rank awards are done separate from activity pins, belt loops and arrow points, unless the arrow points are awarded the same night as the rank...so that 'rank' patches are 'special'. AND TAKE/MAKE TIME at the pack meetings to let the boys know that their hard work is appreciated! Its , in my opinion, the main reason for Pack meetings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beasthunter Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 In our pack we have a Bobcat ceremony at the Pack meeting for Oct. and then the other rank advancements are done at our BnG, and every family is made aware of this at the first of the year. BUT, at times your have to be flexible and make exceptions due to scouts starting at a later date, the scouts involvement in sports, the scouts religious beliefs, or many other circumstances. We use the immediate recognition kits so most scouts can get something at each Pack meeting. This seems to help encourage "slower" boys on working harder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjengels Posted February 9, 2005 Author Share Posted February 9, 2005 I wantd to thank everyone for there advice. I decided to let my son have his Wolf badge. It was very nice I wanted to cry when he hugged us and said thank you mommy and daddy I love you. He is very excited. The only thing he is bummed about is that he can not put it on his shirt until everyone else has earned theres and who knows when that will be. One boy cant even find his book what does that tell you another has not signed off on anything the parents dont help them. It is sad. But I did want to thank eveyone I made the right decision... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigil-Hiker Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Still a poor decision. Why present a badge, but not be allowed to wear what he has earned. I have been in scouting most of my life. My first event was camping with my dad and his scout troop when I was 4 years old. He was still serving as assistant scoutmaster after college. I started cubscouts in 3rd grade(that was when that was the starting age group in the 70's) and moved up to Eagle Scout. I served as a den chief, assistant patrol leader, partol leader as a youth and as assistant scoutmaster through college. I have since rejoined for my own son (my dad was my cub master and assistant scoutmaster, during my youth) and now am a den leader. The only time awards were held back were if the next month was the Blue-Gold in cub scouts, or other a special Troop event was planned for awards in Boy Scouts(EACH EAGLE HAD THEIR OWN CEREMONY EXCEPT FOR THE TWINS). I also am a Vigil member of the OA. If there are lots OA members recieving their Brotherhood, it would be split into two ceremonies. As soon as new sash is presented, it is worn. No waiting for second group to go through their ceremony. As soon as an award is earned and presented, it should be worn to proudly show their achievement. Otherwise it appears they are embarrassed to show what they have earned or are lazy like those who have made little progress. It is like saying you have earned a raise, but we won't give it to you until next year when we have the next company banquet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjengels Posted February 9, 2005 Author Share Posted February 9, 2005 I agree Vigil-Hiker. But what do I do I'm new at Scouting who do I talk to. The Cub Master is very new and does not know much. Is it written somewhere? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutNut Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 I am confused. The Pack purchased the rank award for your son, presented it to him in a ceremony, & now will not let him wear it? Sew it on his pocket. He earned it, he should wear it. The concept of immediate recognition is in every Cub training course & in the Cub Scout Leader book. I believe that it even mentions it in each Cub's handbook. I don't care how new the Cubmaster is, this is just plain wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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