Involved parent vs. leader parent - does it matter to the boy?

[BKS]

A leader parent is an involved parent. Every Eagle Scout I’ve known has had a parent/guardian at their side supporting, encouraging, motivating them along the path to Eagle. Doesn’t have to be a registered parent as a leader, but a parent that cares enough to see that they succeed. Involved parents are not just leaders, but the parents that check on their kids status, talk to leaders, ask questions, and make sure requirements are being met. 
 

The parents that just dump their kids off often have no clue what their Scout is doing or how well they’re doing. Some probably couldn’t tell you what rank their kid is. When parents don’t care, the Scout won’t care. Often times they are only there for socialization with friends. 

[GrubKnot]

I'll offer my experience/observation at the Cub level, since my boys didn't continue past AOL. I was DL or ADL for both boys during their Cub years. Sometimes I felt bad during some activities due to not always being able to assist my boys while assisting other scouts/parents.  I don't think that's the reason neither decided to continue scouting but maybe/might/coulda been a better experience. On the plus side, both boys where always up to date on requirements & never late for meetings or campouts.

[DannyG]

From what I can recall as a youth: I had a parent who was also a registered leader. At the troop level, it felt like the program was harder because I had one less adult to sign requirements. Parents were forbidden to approve their own child's requirements or sit in BOR.  Neither my brother nor I made it close to Eagle. My father stayed in the program long after my brother and I left it for other activities.

Now as an adult, I can speak from both experiences. I started as an adult of a Cub, where I could guide and encourage my young scout from the sidelines. Later on I became a den leader. Then my attention was on the entire den and I had to let go of the focus on my own scout. I feel like it led him astray some, but it also led him to be more self-guided. He is still in the BSA program. I have seen den leaders and their kids "burn-out" and leave. But I think it has to do more with the program, how it changes as the scouts age, and how the kids themselves grow. Not every scout is destined to Eagle. Some kids enjoy the Cub Scout program, but don't like the outdoors program focus in BSA. Some kids find a troop, never been a Cub, and they make excellent scouts. Everybody takes what they need from the program, as long as they find their way into the program to learn and grow. Everyone walks a different path.