We have met the enemy and he is us.....

[packsaddle]

My boys are now 23 and 21 (both Eagles!) - far from perfect but I like to believe they had fun in Scouting. When the oldest was around 14 and the youngest 12 (with at least one full year of Boy Scouts under his belt) we had a troop campout. I reserved two campsites. In one campsite we had the adults, visiting Webelos and Scouts with less than one year of experience. In another site, were the other boys - about eight or so who desired/deserved to camp on their own. Their site was about a mile away - out of earshot and our sightline. I drove the troop trailer to their site, they got out their tents, patrol boxes, food, etc. and they set up camp. I drove down to our site and did the same. We met up with them to play capture the flag and checked on them at the end of the game (my oldest was the SPL). For Saturday I walked up to their camp around 10:00 AM and they were finishing up breakfast clean-up. They came on down to our site all participated in activities together for the day. Again, I checked in on them at around 9:00 PM that evening and left them until about 9:00 AM the following morning.

 

 

 

To this day, they state that it was one of their favorite outings. They were trusted and the trust I gave them was rewarded by their behavior. Also, they learned that eating cheese as part of every meal isn't such a good idea.

 

 

 

A Scoutmaster and the SPL has to know their scouts. One has to be cautious but also let them spread their wings when ready.

Heh, heh, I 'get' what you're saying and I agree. But unless I'm wrong about the guys in this unit, those best of the best leaders in this unit are also the ones most likely to 'light up'. That said, the incidents I'm thinking about were instigated by other units at camporees. 'We' were just close enough to be able to step over to their campsite and put an end to the activity (while their most mature and gifted leaders slept).

[packsaddle]

No patrol camping? What?

RichardB is a member of the forums who is also one of the 'dreaded' professionals in BSA. He has defended some unpopular official policies strongly enough to become an icon in these forums, one that is representative of what some view as overprotective policies (I'm being kind here). Anyway, he's shown that he can take a hit and come right back. So some of us go ahead and swing away, sometimes when it's just at his 'shadow', lol.

Edit: RichardB is one of the reasons I think of 'official' policies in terms of 'smoke and mirrors'. There's just not much of an element of reality.....

[King Ding Dong]

No patrol camping? What?

In his defense, after taking Climbing and Rappelling Instructor training I appreciate the need for the Near Miss report better. It does have its place. The guidelines for its use could use some improvement.