Disappointmentphobia?

[SeattlePioneer]

Unfortunately, I think that would be lost on Tiger Cubs.

[Stosh]

I'm thinking this is why there is no ranking in Cub Scouts. One competes with oneself. The award is issued on personal accomplishment based on age appropriate successes. Rank and arrow points. Does that mean the boy with 5 arrow points is better than the boy with just the rank badge? Should we start a fire under the underachiever or hold back the overachiever? This is why the program is set up the way it is. It doesn't make any difference, come next year, the slate is wiped clean and everyone starts anew.

 

In Boy Scouts one earns advancement. One can't go to some high adventures until they have reached a certain level of proficiency, i.e. First Class, etc. If one isn't interested in HA, then it's no big deal. If they do not aspire to be leaders, then getting beyond FC is going to be a challenge. It is not age based and there's no annual "start over" from scratch. One joining Boy Scouts at age 15 has to start out with the Scout badge then Tenderfoot just like an 11 year old. Whole different set of dynamics going on in the two different programs.

 

Stosh

[qwazse]

Unfortunately' date=' I think that would be lost on Tiger Cubs.[/quote']

 

Never underestimate the verbal ability of a 6 year old.

It depends on how much the TC is exposed to older sibling's entertainment. Son #2 learned to read by scouring the internet for game FAQ's and needing to understand walk-throughs so he could match-up against his siblings. He basically said as much in his Best Man speech at Son #1's wedding.

 

But, how much do you all think a quote like MM578's would help parents overcome dissapointmenphobia? Anybody try something like that (or had something like that tried on you)? What was the setting? What kind of feedback did you get? (or give?)

[SeattlePioneer]

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Frankly, I think that quotation is too pompous to have much use among us mere mortals.

[TAHAWK]

"Our standard for badge earning -- as I have frequently said -- is not the attainment of a certain level of quality of work (as in the school), but the AMOUNT OF EFFORT EXERCISED BY THE INDIVIDUAL CANDIDATE. This brings the most hopeless case on to a footing of equal possibility with his more brilliant or better-off brother. "We want to get them ALL along through cheery self-development from within and not through the imposition of formal instruction from without."

 

BP

 

Success is achieved when we fulfill the BSA Mission Statement and when we accomplish the aims of Scouting: character development, citizenship training, and mental and physical fitness. We know we are on the right track when we see youth accepting responsibility, demonstrating self-reliance, and caring for themselves and others; when they learn to weave Scouting ideals into their lives; and when we can see they will be positive contributors to our American society.

 

Though certainly goal-oriented, advancement is not a competition. Rather, it is a joint effort involving the leaders, the members, other volunteers such as merit badge counselors or Venturing consultants, and the family. Though much is done individually at their own pace, youth often work together in groups to focus on achievements and electives at Cub Scout den meetings, for example, or participate in a Boy Scout campout or Sea Scout cruise. As they do this, we must recognize each young person’s unique combination of strengths and weaknesses. As watchful leaders, either adult or youth,

we lend assistance as called for and encourage members to help each other according to their abilities

 

. . .

 

Cub Scoutsâ€â€even those of the same ageâ€â€may have very different developmental timetables. For this reason, advancement performance in Cub Scouting is centered on its motto: “Do Your Best.†When a boy has done thisâ€â€his very bestâ€â€then regardless of the requirements for any rank or award, it is enough; accomplishment is noted. This is why den leaders, assistants, and parents or guardians are involved in approvals. Generally they know if effort put forth is really the Cub Scout’s best.

 

In the same spirit as “Do Your Best,†if a boy is close to earning a badge of rank when the school year ends, the pack committee, in consultation with the den leader and the Cub Scout’s parent or guardian, may allow him a few weeks to complete the badge before going on to the next rank. Earning it will give him added incentive to continue in Scouting and carry on and tackle the next rank.

 

B.S.A. Guide to Advancement.

[Sidney Porter]

My son played flag football. Thiey received participation medals. The coach asked the league for his at the beginning of the year rather than waiting until the end of the season. After the first game the coach huddled all of the players together and announced the player(s) of the game and gave a short letter speach about why the player earned it. As the season went on it was obvious that every kid would be player(s) of the game 1x. They were really just participation medals but the coach turned it into an actual award.

 

 

[Sidney Porter]

My son came in 35th out of 36 tiger cubs in the pinewood derby. His goal the next year was to do better, he came in 20th out of 24 as a wolf. He can in 2nd for his den as a Bear and a Web 1. He came in 1st for his den as a Web 2. He worked and studied at what makes one car faster than another. What is interesting his attitude was always wanting to do better than he did the previous year it never came across as direct competition against the other scouts. He was gracious in winning in part because he experienced 35 out of 36.

[Sidney Porter]

My son has been involved with youth swimming since he was 7 at both a rec and club level. The rec leagues are really interesting from a participation vs earned awards. They all get a trophy at the end of the year but at the meets they also give out ribbons for the top 8 places for each event. There are a ot more girls that swim than boys. A middle of a pack boy ends up getting ribbons in just about every race. But a middle of the pack girl is unlikely to get a ribbon. I would say that there are 3x more girls than boys at each age group.

 

It was interesting to see the reactions of the boys vs the girls at the young age. A boy would be happy with a 7th or 8th place not really comprehending that there were only 10 racers. On the other hand you would see a girl who came in 12th place out of 36 swimmers noth grasping that she was in the upper 1/3 (and would have come in 5th or 6th in the boys race). Once they get older it has to do more about their times than a ribbon. At the club level it is also more about time because the meets are larger so you need to be fast to place, a middle of the pack kid (boy or girl isn't getting a ribbon).

[SeattlePioneer]

Our pack does a variety of competitions, including Pinewood Derby, sailboat race, stomp bottle rockets and paper airplanes.

 

In all of them boys choose who they want to race against and the winner of any race wins a sticker for their car/boat/rocket/plane or whatever, or a driver's license/pilot's license or whatever.

 

There is no explicit recognition of the boy who wins the most stickers. Each boy decides for themselves what the stickers mean to him.

 

Personally I find this a satisfactory amount of competition for boys this age. They all want to compete, they all want to win and they all lose some of the time. This gives them the courage and fortitude to compete and the courage to experience losing, too.

 

This is the kind of competition boys organize for themselves.