Jumping from den to den

[ellielei]

Anyone come across this situation?

 

We have 2 Tiger dens in our Pack this year - one meets on Thursdays and the other Saturdays. I've just heard that some of the parents have been attending either one or the other den meetings in order to get a meeting in as their schedule sees fit. The dens are run by 2 different leaders of course. Does anyone else allow this in their Packs?

 

As CC I'd be interested in knowing how to handle this situation. My first thought was to advise the parents to pick a den and stick with it - it's only by chance that we have 2 Tiger dens to choose from as it is. I would think that as a courtesy to the DLs so that they could plan each meeting knowing who was coming or not would be helpful. I don't know - it just doesn't seem like it would work out jumping around like this - if one leader is working on one achievement that the other isn't and vice versa - it can just get pretty complicated I would think.

 

What do you all think?

 

Mahalo,

Ellie

 

PS - Let me add that 3 of the 4 families that I've heard that are doing this are doing it more for convenience then for anything else - just to have the flexibility of going when it's convenient for them. We have a total of 13 Tiger families right now in our Pack.

 

There is 1 single parent that is having a hard time due to her work schedule which I could see being flexible for but she could attend the meetings on Saturday when she is off - which is the right decision for her and her son I think.

(This message has been edited by ellielei)

[Scouter&mom]

My initial thought is they need to pick one den and stick with it. Then as I think more about it, it depends on how many parents you have doing this.. If it is just one or two with special circumstances, I think I would take them as they can come. If I found out from the parent it is a short term situation, I would ask the den leaders to make the boy feel welcome and live with it for a while. This could be a family in which someone has medical issues and they can't always control their schedule.

 

On the other hand, if it is just the parent can't seem to make the effort then I would explain how the boy doesn't become a part of the group that way.. that boy will always be a visitor no matter which den.. and strongly encourage the boy's parents to make a committment one way or the other.

[MarkS]

I would think that the behavior mentioned could diminish the den method of Cub Scouting (i.e., belonging, sportsmanship and good citizenship, getting along, and to how to do their best, not just for themselves but also for the den). It could also adversely affect the ability of the cubmaster and affected den leaders to provide the boys with a quality program filled with fun and activities, prevent the dens from functioning well, and interfere with the shared leadership plans of the dens. This is because the den leaders rely on the Tiger Cubs' adult partners to help plan their den meetings and activities and the cubmaster relies on the den leaders to coordinate their den's participation at pack meetings. On the plus side, the behavior can also contribute to more regular attendance and regular attendance is important if the boys are going to get the most benefit from the program.

 

I suggest you talk to the cubmaster and affected den leaders about your concerns, find out what they think of the situation, and give them a chance to handle it. If it is causing them problems or they decide to permit it and it adversely affects the success of the pack, then you should work with the cubmaster to educate the parents of the importance of the den method of Cub Scouting and allow them to voluntarily make the decision to discontinue the behavior.

 

Try not to involve the den leaders in this education process. If there is pushback from the parents, it will reduce the risk of tarnishing the ability of the den leaders to maintain a friendly relationship with the Tiger Cubs' adult partners.

[ScoutNut]

You are talking about 4 out of 13 families. That is just under 1/3 of the boys! Are they all from one den? This can be a big swing. If they are all registered in the same den, and all switch for the same meeting, you could be left with only 2 boys a one meeting and 11 at the other.

 

What are your den leaders saying about this situation? It would seem to me to make for a very large headache for both leaders.

 

They would not know from one meeting to the next how many or who to plan for. Unless of course the families let the leaders know in advance.

 

Who would be responsible for keeping track of these "floating" families? The den theya re registered in or the den they visited? The leaders would have to get together every month to compare notes on who did what at whose den meetings. That would make ordering and presenting awards that much more complicated for them.

 

What happens when kone of the families signs up to run a meeting with one den, but shows up at the other den meeting instead.

 

If the leaders do not care, and are coordinating their dens together, as basically one big Tiger den with just 2 meeting dates, it will not matter much.

 

If it is driving the Tiger leaders up a wall then something will have to be done about it.

 

Talk to your leaders first.

(This message has been edited by ScoutNut)