Kids who can't do for themselves

[sctmom]

There seems to a few threads today about can / should boys do things without adults around all the time. I just have to share this story about non-Scout.

 

My son's friend calls the house this weekend. I explain that son is at his dad's. I have given the friend and his mom the phone number many, many times. Once again I'm asked for the phone number. I asked the boy if he had a phone book, that way he can look it up every time. He said he didn't know if they had one and anyway, he didn't know how to look up a phone number!!!!!

 

My response was "it is time you learned". This boy is 11. He is left at home by himself for hours at a time while mom works. He doesn't know how to use a phone book?????

 

When my niece was that age, her father was in the intensive care unit of a large hospital, 100 miles from home. My niece was at home alone one day and needed to talk to her mom. She called the one number she had for the hospital and kept asking until someone got her to the right phone. And she is NOT known for having common sense.

 

Hmmm...maybe this will be a good excercise to teach the Cub Scouts -- how to use the phone book.

 

 

[yaworski]

I think that as a society we tend to do too much for our kids today. I don't know if the problem started with the school or the parents or a combination of both. All too often, we say to ourselves, "I'll just do it myself because trying to explain to Johnny will take too long." I'm guilty of that myself.

 

I do remember that in the 2nd or 3rd grade we had classroom work on the phone. How to answer it, how to dial, how to initiate or terminate a conversation and how to look up a number. I don't think that they do that anymore, they're too worried about technology.

 

I do know that my son who's in the 6th grade doesn't have a clue about looking things up in the dictionary. If they covered it in school, it went right over his head.

 

 

[sctmom]

I do know my son can look words up in the dictionary. They do that a lot at his school.

 

Today a lot of kids also don't know how to leave a message. My son didn't understand the difference between voice mail and an answering machine. So he was on voice mail saying "pick up if you are there". LOL

 

[eisely]

Most telephone companies now provide a financial incentive to use the book. We get to pay 75 cents for every call to local directory assistance. Why not split this saving with your son and pay him to look numbers up for say six months? Maybe he will get the habit then.

[yaworski]

"My son didn't understand the difference between voice mail and an answering machine."

 

I do know the difference but often I can't tell the difference. Many homes now have voice mail from Verizon and the message that I hear is similar to that on an answering machine, "I can't take your call . . ."

[sctmom]

Oh, my son can use the phone book and I have NOT taught him how to use directory assistance or any of those other chargeable things with the phone company. He does know how to dial long distance to call his grandparents.

[evmori]

Common problem. One year before we left for summer camp, I asked a Scout if he had something with him. He turned to mom & asked "Did you pack it?" I immediately said "You're mom's not going camping with you. I suggest you look."

 

This is one of the things I feel Scouting teaches boys - to be reliant on themselves.

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10