Webelos Visiting Troops

[blw2]

Your boys is probably going to just go with the troop that his buddies go to regardless of how well it is run.  Just make sure if the troop they pick is a problem, they continue their search rather than dropping BSA because of a bad experience.

you know, that is very likely the case!

I just need to relax!!!!

Edited May 17, 2015 by blw2

[resqman]

What BOYS want from a troop and what Parents want from a troop seldom match up. 

 

There is a lot of talk about leadership, responsibility, etc. in this forum.  Those are the kind of things parents often want their sons to get from the program.   Talk to the boys and they talk about fun, adventure, camping, climbing, canoeing, fire, outdoors, etc.  

 

Adults talk about cost, planning, travel time, scheduling.  Boys talk about fun, adventure, fire, extreme, etc.

 

Adults talk about advancement, requirements and time to Eagle.  Boys talk about fun, adventure, fire.

 

One scout visiting asked if he could have bacon during campouts.  That was his deciding factor.  Once we let him know he chose the menu and he cooked the food, he signed up.  Everything else to him was OK or could be worked around if he could have as much bacon as he wanted, whenever he wanted.  He quickly became one of the outstanding scouts in the troop.  He was a natural leader with very good organizational skills.  The boys would follow him anywhere. 

 

Scout age children are presented with very few opportunities to make real decisions that affect them.  Many have never been given the opportunity to make a choice and have to live with the consequences.  Its amazing what happens when they get a chance to start managing their own lives.

 

The troop I serve discourages parents attending campouts for the first 3 months.  Give the lads a chance to figure things out among themselves.  Parents need to learn to cut the apron strings for themselves as much as the lads.  Parents can and occasionally do attend, but they are kept away from the lads and not allowed to interfere.  By the end of the weekend, most are amazed at their son and the other lads. 

[Twocubdad]

What troop are your friends in?

 

By far, the greatest indicator of a Scout's success and longevity is being able to enjoying the fellowship, fellowship, encouragement and positive peer pressure of being with his buddies.

 

That solves almost all Scout ills.  The rest is adult drama the adults need to deal with.

[Eagle94-A1]

One scout visiting asked if he could have bacon during campouts.  That was his deciding factor.  Once we let him know he chose the menu and he cooked the food, he signed up.  Everything else to him was OK or could be worked around if he could have as much bacon as he wanted, whenever he wanted.  He quickly became one of the outstanding scouts in the troop.

 My kind of scout.

Edited May 17, 2015 by Eagle94-A1

[Eagledad]

We had a mom and son visit us three times. I asked her the third time what they liked about the troop and she said she didn't like it much at all because it basically looked disorganized. But her son loved it because the scouts ran the program. He would have joined after their first visit, but she kept bringing him back hoping he would change his mind. They joined the forth visit. He and his two younger brothers all got their Eagles in our troop. Mom became our best recruiter and CC the troops ever had. Once she saw how boy run worked, she thought it was the best program in the world for boys growing up. Her middle son was also on the soccer team I coached. He is now a surgeon.

 

Barry

[Stosh]

What BOYS want from a troop and what Parents want from a troop seldom match up. 

 

Totally agree, what boys want at this age and what parents want on ANY SUBJECT, not jut Scouting seldom match up.  

 

There is a lot of talk about leadership, responsibility, etc. in this forum.  Those are the kind of things parents often want their sons to get from the program.   Talk to the boys and they talk about fun, adventure, camping, climbing, canoeing, fire, outdoors, etc.  

 

Adults talk about cost, planning, travel time, scheduling.  Boys talk about fun, adventure, fire, extreme, etc.

 

Adults talk about advancement, requirements and time to Eagle.  Boys talk about fun, adventure, fire.

 

And the whole purpose of scouting is to use that fun, adventure, fire and yes,  bacon, to develop the boys into those who take leadership responsibility, planning and scheduling, and even advancement as part of their character.  It just depends on which end of the spectrum one is viewing the situation.  At the beginning the boys see the reality of the program as promised, and the parents see the end result potential.

 

One scout visiting asked if he could have bacon during campouts.  That was his deciding factor.  Once we let him know he chose the menu and he cooked the food, he signed up.  Everything else to him was OK or could be worked around if he could have as much bacon as he wanted, whenever he wanted.  He quickly became one of the outstanding scouts in the troop.  He was a natural leader with very good organizational skills.  The boys would follow him anywhere. 

 

Scout age children are presented with very few opportunities to make real decisions that affect them.  Many have never been given the opportunity to make a choice and have to live with the consequences.  Its amazing what happens when they get a chance to start managing their own lives.\\

 

And without boy-led, patrol-method, they may not get the opportunity to make a choice and have to live with the consequences in a scout unit either.

 

The troop I serve discourages parents attending campouts for the first 3 months.  Give the lads a chance to figure things out among themselves.  Parents need to learn to cut the apron strings for themselves as much as the lads.  Parents can and occasionally do attend, but they are kept away from the lads and not allowed to interfere.  By the end of the weekend, most are amazed at their son and the other lads. 

 

A parent is never told they cannot attend any of the boy's activities, but they do have to stay with the other adults who are drinking coffee and only have one eye on the boy's progress.  I really like the 300' rule.  From that distance one can't hear the boys say oh-oh or oops.  

'

Edited May 17, 2015 by Stosh

[BadenP]

I think twocubdad hit it right on the head it is the fellowship and friendships that the boy wants most and remembers the longest. As a former WL myself I felt it was more my job to find the best run troop  programs and direct them into those that already had boys they knew who came from our pack or who were their friends from school. It worked in my opinion since of the 15 webelos from my den over a 3 year period 12 became Eagles and three made it to Life, not too shabby if I say so myself. All of them told me they were in a great troop and had a great scouting experience

[Stosh]

The majority of adults I have met that are Eagles seem to support the idea that getting their Eagle was in a large part because of the buddies they hung out with.  "My best friend in school and I both Eagled,", "The group of guys I was in cubs with went all the way to Eagle together.", etc.

 

This is why the patrol-method with no adult messing around with ad hoc, forced mixed patrols, etc. is so important.

[qwazse]

@@qwazse and @, thank you too.  I  think the whole thing about parents getting ushered to another room is a little weird though.... but I can see point of it....  one of those two way mirrors would be good for the new moms I'd bet 

There is an abrupt switching from parents being criticized for "dump and run" behavior in a pack to being criticized for hovering too closely in a troop.

[Stosh]

99% of the fault with the Dump & Run vs. Helicopter Parents is our own faulty communications.  We run the Cub Program pretty much like all the other youth programs out there.  You pay your dues, you get a program, very little if any parental involvement.  But not in the BSA.  One has to take into consideration the emphasis BSA puts on Dad/Lad, Mom/Son bonding and constant recruiting to get involved with their kids in the program as a leader..  5 years of getting the parents involved only to turn around at a crossover and reverse that.  Sure, we'll take you on as committee person, but with 50 boys we don't need 100 people on the committee.  

 

When did we tell the parents the rules of the game?  Some units do it on their own, others don't.  I make sure from the very beginning what's going on and by the beginning, I mean the first Webelos visit to the unit.  

[Gone]

99% of the fault with the Dump & Run vs. Helicopter Parents is our own faulty communications.  We run the Cub Program pretty much like all the other youth programs out there.  You pay your dues, you get a program, very little if any parental involvement.  But not in the BSA.  One has to take into consideration the emphasis BSA puts on Dad/Lad, Mom/Son bonding and constant recruiting to get involved with their kids in the program as a leader..  5 years of getting the parents involved only to turn around at a crossover and reverse that.  Sure, we'll take you on as committee person, but with 50 boys we don't need 100 people on the committee.  

 

When did we tell the parents the rules of the game?  Some units do it on their own, others don't.  I make sure from the very beginning what's going on and by the beginning, I mean the first Webelos visit to the unit.

 

We do as well. We note the program runs on parental involvement. In fact we flat out say if you don't want to get involved then scouts may not be for you.

[Twocubdad]

We run a training program for all new parents.  First, during our Webelos campout, while the Webelos are off on a hike with the Boy Scouts, we do about a 90 minute parent's presentation on how the program works.  Then again, the first month of troop meetings after crossover, all new parents are invited to attend a series of presentations from the troop leaders.  The first meeting is membership and paperwork.  The youth quartermasters do a session on the equipment the troop provides and what the Scouts need to have, The committee does a session on their roles, and last I and the ASMs do a session on program and advancement (and why Boy Scout advancement is not like Cub Scout advancement). 

 

I also encourage all parents to take Scoutmaster training, at least the classroom session.  If you're putting your son into a seven-year program, you should be willing to invest on day to learn the program.  (Few do.) 

 

Don't complain to me if you don't know how the program works.

[KenD500]

1st Son went to the Troop his Pack fed.    2nd Son had a lot of choices. 

 

Based on experiences from 1st Son, his mother & I set a few criteria:

1.  had to be within 6 mile radius of our house; we knew it would be more than 1 meeting/week.  Sometimes up there 2-3 times / week.

2.  a current & useful communication stream (newsletter, website, etc)

 

Questions for the Scout to answer:

1.  Are the meetings fun?

2.  Are the people friendly?

 

Son #2 visited 2 Troops that met our criteria (out of 8).  1st one the Scouts told the visitors they weren't needed/wanted.  (That Troop had huge growth the year before).  2nd Troop was fun.

[Stosh]

1st Son went to the Troop his Pack fed.    2nd Son had a lot of choices. 

 

Based on experiences from 1st Son, his mother & I set a few criteria:

1.  had to be within 6 mile radius of our house; we knew it would be more than 1 meeting/week.  Sometimes up there 2-3 times / week.

2.  a current & useful communication stream (newsletter, website, etc)

 

Questions for the Scout to answer:

1.  Are the meetings fun?

2.  Are the people friendly?

 

Son #2 visited 2 Troops that met our criteria (out of 8).  1st one the Scouts told the visitors they weren't needed/wanted.  (That Troop had huge growth the year before).  2nd Troop was fun.

 

Never could figure out "too big" was  ever a problem.  If a PL is working with 7 boys and the SPL working with 7 ASPL's who all have 7 PL's.  No one has responsibility for more than 7 boys and if the room is big enough, shouldn't be a problem.  Of course the patrols could meet on different nights too.  

 

Looks like a lame excuse, I'd go with door #2 as well.