The Flip Side of Cub Scouts

[Scoutfish]

I was just on facebook and I posted that I was going to Pow-Wow tommorrow to learn to act even MORE like a 9 year old.

 

Had a few friends comment that I shouldn't have too hard a time of it!

 

I then mentioned the irony of it: We as adults constantly tell our kids they should act their age..when what we are really saying is" You should act my age!".

Yet, I am going to a class/training to act their age.

 

And you know..that's just funny to me. As young men, and as adults, we are constantly told, encouraged and prodded toi stop laughing, stop joking around and stop acting up. And you know, for the most part, it is good advice.

 

The problem is that there isn't a solid one shot correct "grow up" to follow.

 

I mean, nothing wrong with learning that life is not all fun and games, but instead of teaching youth to stop laughing and joking, we should teach them instead - that there is a time and place for everything.

 

It's okay to laugfh, joke, cut up, and be silly as long as we do it at the right times.

 

Basically, my experience is this: I am jokey guy. I like to tell jok4es and laugh. But I usually feel uncomfortable acting up, being silly, singing and dancing.

 

I felt weird at the roundup when the DE starting singing and flitting around. Kinda scared the "grown up, mature, responcible , adult father I had become. At the very first pack meeting I went to, samething. I stood and uncomfortably watched a church full of kids not only jump up and down and holler...but they did it under the leadership of 3 adults.

 

What the heck was wrong with everybody?

 

Soon enough, I went from an active parent, to an ADL, to Dl, to Cub Master.

 

And along the way, I have learned to be silly, cut up, laugh, sing and dance ( if you call it that) , and just generally have a good time again.

 

And I can say I am glad for that. Over time, we tend to lose insight and knowledge of what kids think and what makes them tick. We only see the world through our "grown up" eyes.

 

Thanks to scouting, not only do I have my "grown up" eyes, but I can also see the world through a kid's eyes.

 

So the flip side?

 

While we are teaching the boys how to grow up, learn responcibility and become good citizens.... we are also teaching ours selves to let go of that when the time is right.

[clemlaw]

Yes, being a Cub Scout as an adult is actually more fun than it was as a kid.

[packsaddle]

I'm with you Scoutfish, I loved working with the cubs. And I miss them.

[vogelb]

How true! The transition from new cub scout parent to experienced leader is amazing. As cubmaster I often tell new parents that the job description is "be silly and ridiclous". Zwhat could be better than this?