Why have Scouts?

[5thGenTexan]

I don't think Little League is even a thing anymore.  It's all Elite BB around here now.  Start em off young with the intention of a long term commitment.  And that's a parent decision.  Despite what the kid wants.  

[Mrjeff]

When I first asked " Why have Scouts" I said that I have never heard a kid say that they wanted to be a Scout because they wanted to be a good citizen, learn leadership, or become a good money manager.  Every kid says that they wanted to be a Scout in order to "HAVE FUN" and its just that simple. Everything else is just a byproduct of having fun thats supervised and directed by adults.  Unfortunately horrible people took advantage of their trusted position and bad things happened.   Now Scouting is overregulated and common sense has been removed from the equation.   Throw in some egocentric  and controlling adults and the fun is often times watered down and replaced by misery.   I challenge myself to at least try to make every event as fun and enjoyable as possible.  That takes work and preparation but at the same time I enjoy what I'm doing and want to do it.  When I no longer enjoy what I'm doing and no longer want to do it I will put my Scout handbook on the shelf, put away my Woodbadge beads and Seabadge trident, lovingly fold up my uniforms and neckerchiefs and move onto something else.

[Eagledad]

56 minutes ago, Mrjeff said:

When I first asked " Why have Scouts" I said that I have never heard a kid say that they wanted to be a Scout because they wanted to be a good citizen, learn leadership, or become a good money manager.  Every kid says that they wanted to be a Scout in order to "HAVE FUN" and its just that simple. Everything else is just a byproduct of having fun thats supervised and directed by adults.  Unfortunately horrible people took advantage of their trusted position and bad things happened.   Now Scouting is overregulated and common sense has been removed from the equation.   Throw in some egocentric  and controlling adults and the fun is often times watered down and replaced by misery.   I challenge myself to at least try to make every event as fun and enjoyable as possible.  That takes work and preparation but at the same time I enjoy what I'm doing and want to do it.  When I no longer enjoy what I'm doing and no longer want to do it I will put my Scout handbook on the shelf, put away my Woodbadge beads and Seabadge trident, lovingly fold up my uniforms and neckerchiefs and move onto something else.

Badon Powell wrote something, I think in the 1930s, saying basically the same thing. Different words, but the intent was the same. Apparently, human nature is pretty consistent over time. 

But, there are the few who hold true to those traditional valves of the program and make it work. I haven't scouted in a long time, but I hang around here because it is a place to keep spreading the word.

Barry

[qwazse]

On 3/18/2023 at 7:49 PM, Mrjeff said:

...  Every kid says that they wanted to be a Scout in order to "HAVE FUN" and its just that simple. …

With all do respect, this is an over generalization. More importantly, it reverses the causality. With few exceptions, everyone wants to have fun, but — even with the offering of an insanely fun troop — not everyone wants to be a scout.

[5thGenTexan]

If a kid is there just ONLY to have fun, why bother with the Scout part at all?  Sounds like just meeting up to play to me.  Certainly a lot cheaper to just play.

[Mrjeff]

4 hours ago, qwazse said:

With all do respect, this is an over generalization. More importantly, it reverses the causality. With few exceptions, everyone wants to have fun, but — even with the offering of an insanely fun troop — not everyone wants to be a scout.

With all due respect back atcha, this "causality" is what adults expect from Scouting, not the kids.  Not  everyone should be a Scout and its a huge mistake to turn Scouting into an everything for everybody  program.  Obviously the Scouting program has gotten so watered down so everyone feels comfortable and is never disappointed it is scarcely recognized as the Boy Scouts of America of just 10 years ago.  And that is not a positive thing.  This so called "causality " should be the result of enjoyable and FUN activities that will develop the "causality ".  I have made this point from the beginning and now it would appear that we are word jousting over verbage and semiotics .

 

 

 

[ShootingSports]

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