Why have Scouts?

[Mrjeff]

Can anyone provide a TWO WORD statement answering the question why have Scouts?  Not one word, not three words, TWO WORDS as to why have Scouts.  As I have said in the past I have never heard a youngster say that they wanted to be a Scout to learn lessons, gain maturity or become a leader.  I did hear one say that he wanted to go to the US Air Force Academy and needed to put that he was an Eagle Scout on his application.  Scouts is there to let kids have fun, period.  It's so good to stand in the background and watch kids have fun.  Watch them play, ride bikes, try new things and see new places, or just hang out and talk with friends.  That's why we have Scouts and unfortunately there isn't much of that left.  Adults have litigated, interfered and regulated a whole bunch of fun right out of the BSA.  Rather then standing on a river bank watching kids climb a tree and jump into the water, the adult has to consider the outcome of the lawsuit if someone gets hurt.  Let the kids ride their bikes?  Only if they wear a helmet,  gloves, hard soled shoe's, knee pads and elbow pads.  It's not the kids fault, all of this is brought about by the actions of self serving adults. We rode bikes in swim trunks, period.  No shirt, shoe's or gloves and we all made it.  Sure there were a lot of cuts, bruises, shinned knees and bloody noses on the boys and the girls and we made it. With all of the money spent by BSA figuring out what can't be done, perhaps some money and thought should go into the what can we do to let the kids just have fu n😞

[qwazse]

Forestalling death.

[Mrjeff]

You win that one🤣🤣🤣

[qwazse]

9 minutes ago, Mrjeff said:

You win that one🤣🤣🤣

First ain't always best. There are other terse scouters out there. Let's look forward to their offerings.

[Eagle94-A1]

Here are two that meet criteria.

 

1.   AWESOME FUN

 

2. WICKED ADVENTURES

 

[mrjohns2]

Good citizen. 

[BAJ]

Working together.

[InquisitiveScouter]

Zaphod Beeblebrox

[Eagle94-A1]

1 minute ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

Zaphod Beeblebrox

 

[Eagle94-A1]

From my youngest son,

HORRIBLE PAPERWORK.

 

[MattR]

Fun outdoors

 

[Chisos]

1 hour ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

From my youngest son,

HORRIBLE PAPERWORK.

 

You get a concurring opinion from my son who is working on his Eagle application.  

[5thGenTexan]

7 hours ago, qwazse said:

Forestalling death.

I don't know... I think it might end up killing me. 

[Eagle94-A1]

2 hours ago, Chisos said:

You get a concurring opinion from my son who is working on his Eagle application.  

the Service Project workbook and the application are the reasons why he said it. FYI I did not know this until recentlyu, but you can find out when eagle is approved and official in the SCOUTBOOK records. No more waiting for the certificate to come in.

Sadly you cannot  correct the entry once it is done. My youngest earned Eagle on one day, but they put the date in his records as a few days earlier. Tried to correct it, and was unable. At this point we don't care what date it is, he is an Eagle is all that matters.

Edited March 5, 2023 by Eagle94-A1

[BetterWithCheddar]

BE PREPARED

I liked @mrjohns2"Good Citizen" response. As a parent, that's really my number one goal - to raise a decent person who provides a net benefit to society (as opposed to being a drag on others). Everything else is a stretch goal.

However, I think the Scout motto answers the OP's question pretty well. Scouting will eventually nudge my son out of his comfort zone when he's old enough to join Scouts BSA. Spending a weekend away from his parents and relying solely on supplies he and his troopmates packed will teach him independence and self-reliance. If he chooses to work on camp staff, he'll spend 6 weeks away from my wife and I every summer. Most successful adults have to occasionally operate outside of their comfort zones and Scouting provides a controlled environment for youth to be independent and make mistakes without serious repercussions.