Do your Scouts call you by your first name

[Beavah]

I would think that not all segments of US society would use Mr/Mrs when talking youth to adult.

 

Dat's true.

 

One area where I've never seen anything but first names is in hobby or community clubs where both youth and adults are members. Community ski clubs, amateur radio clubs, stamp collectors, model aviation groups, etc.... all these are first name basis. So are most teen and adult hunters & fishermen up here in da north.

 

Guess it just depends whether your troop wants to emphasize hierarchy or shared endeavor. Some kids and adults need hierarchy; some need more collegial friendships.

 

[ConnCM]

Mr. Jepsen to the boys & (horrors) the younger parents.

 

This is a matter of our Boys learning & showing respect. Nothing more.

[Eamonn]

We have talked about this before in these forums.

I think it's important to call people what they like to be called.

If Ed wants to be called Ed that's fine.

My son likes to be called OJ. He isn't mad about Oliver.

Her Who Must Be Obeyed really hates anyone using her middle name.

Most people call me Eamonn, but on all official type documents I like to use all 3 names.

At School back home the teachers just called us by our last names. I never really liked it, but that was how it was.

When I first joined Scouts a lot of the SM's used Skip short for Skipper.

Now that I have joined Sea Scouting, I have started to use Skipper.

Her who must be Obeyed answered the phone the other night and said that she thought they had asked for Flipper.

I had that darn song stuck in my head for days!!

Eamonn /Skipper.

[Meechgalanne]

My scoutmaster like to be called by his first by troop members. Being his SPL, im very close to him. So i know when to call him Mr. A or Joe. And i have respect for him either way.

[TheFourGuardians]

Well, all the scouts and adults call be my my first name normally.

 

Of course, as a scout, that's not exceptionally surprising!

[seed]

I'm the CM, and I like everyone to call me by my first name, much to the dismay of the CC, who I sometime refer to as your highness. However, I don't have children in the pack, and my last name is tricky to pronounce. We do call the Den Leaders by Mr. or Mrs. so and so because that is what their childrens' friends would call them. Does that make sense?

 

A little OT here, but it ranckles me to no end for my Boss at work to call me by my first name, while I must address him as Mr. So and So who is 25 years younger than myself. Oh well.

[hotdesk]

In my troop it is always Mr/Mrs.________________ The only exception is for those scouts who age out and remain active as an Asst. Scoutmaster ( I have recently aged out myself).

 

I went on a canoing trip to Boundary Waters two years ago and a couple of former scouts (from 70s and 80s) went as adult leaders. A couple of scouts called them by their first name and I couldn't bring myself to do that. Something told me that if they were willing to go canoing (for 10 days) and take off work for it that they should be shown some respect.

 

On another note the PE teachers that we have at our school are mostly coaches. However, they hate to be refered to as just Coach and also hate kids not talking with respect (correctly and so forth). They are to the point where they will stop you in mid sentence and correct you.

[seed]

I don't think using a Mr. or Mrs. in front of a name automatically gives you respect. That's something you have to earn. I'll call anyone whatever they want, just call me seed.

 

Maybe I just don't want to grow up yet.

[GopherJudy]

When I was the AWDL for my son's den, the boys called me Mrs. Bain at the den/pack meeting & my son called me Mom! Outside of scouts, there were 2 families that we were friends with & the boys called me Judy which was fine with me as there are personal reasons why I didn't want to be called Mrs. Bain.

 

I'm a Tiger DL this year even though Mark is in Boy Scouts now & the boys call me Miss Judy. I think that's easier for them & I have no problem with it.

 

The boys call the DL's Mrs. + last name or Miss + first name, all of the DL's are female & the CM is Mr. + last name.

 

The boys in my son's troop call the SM & ASM's Mr. + last name. IMHO I think it should be that way.

 

Judy

[acco40]

Miss Judy she was moody

Owned a sweaty farm in old Alabam

I was just 18, crude and mean

All I needed was to get my own way

Get out of my way

 

Miss Judy she could have me

Any hour of the working day

She'd send me in the corn field mid afternoon

Said son its all part of your job

 

Miss Judy had a cross eyed poodle

That I would kick if I was given the chance

Never was amused by the kindness I used

I was whipped in the barn until dawn

It hurt me

 

Last summer we was restless

Were gonna make a stand and burn down your farm

But it was all in the head

Cause out in the yard

Miss Judy had the National Guard

We was beaten, before we started

 

Miss Judy she was moody

And she always didn't get her own way

Just state the facts, get it right

Kick her when she's down

 

Sorry, as an old Faces fan, whenever I hear Miss Judy (or Mrs. Judy)

that pops into my head.

[GopherJudy]

Acco,

 

That was funny! Thanks! Was that when Rod Stewart was with Faces? My brain cell is a little foggy on that!

 

Miss Moody Judy

[acco40]

Yes, Rod, Ronnie Wood, Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan & Kenny Jones. Stewart went on to numerous blonds and solo achievements, Wood to the Rolling Stones, Jones to the Who for a while and Ronnie Lane recently left us and Ian has been "bump"ing along.

[schleining]

In our Troop we currently use both.

When we started we were all on First Name basis. Now we are leaning to the Mr/Mrs. [insert last name].

Why? because it does add to the lesson of respecting your elders. Respect needs to be tought, and while I agree that not all people are deserving of respect, I would like to think that the adult leaders in Scouting are deserving. At least in my unit.

 

PET PEEVE-- MR JERRY... NO GO...

Either call me by my first name or call me Mr. Schleining... But MR. Jerry...NO.

I grew up spending a lot of my time in the South... they do that down there (from my experience) and I hated it then.... and I can't stand it now.

So our Troop does not even consider that one.

 

We are working on the last names.. and not really pushing hard. It will come. It starts with the adults and once it becomes standard.. the boys will catch on.

 

Mr. Schleining aka Jerry

 

(edited for typos... oopps sorry)(This message has been edited by schleining)

[OzarksOsage]

In our pack, the adults are known as "Mr. Lastname" or "Mrs. Lastname." When adults make reference to other adults in front of the scouts, the "Mr./Mrs." form is always used. That keeps things simple, and simple is good. It's out of common courtesy that we do that--there is no formal rule.

 

Ozarks Osage

[rfwlcdr]

A few years ago, when someone convinced me that I wanted to be a Cubmaster, I walked into a Pack with no program, boys wandered around at meetings aimlessly, pretty much carried on their own conversations regardless of who was talking, and, following the example of the previous Cubmaster, were informal in their uniforming and the manner in which they addressed the adults. The other adult leaders followed suit; after all, that's how the Cubmaster publicly addressed them.

The simple act of the Cubmaster standing in front referring to the other adults as Mr., Ms., or Mrs. Lastname changed the form of address in two Pack meetings or less. It just became the norm. No one had to tell the boys not to call the leaders by their first names; I showed respect for the other adults, they picked up on the intent, and the boys and they responded in kind.

The other problems went away in the first meeting when they were finally introduced to what a Cubscoout program should be (try to picture a Pack with 2nd year Webelos who have never sang a song or put on a skit), but that's for a different thread.