Meaning of Scouting

[OldGreyEagle]

If the youth have asked you back, you must have made some connection with the youth, and that is what scouting is, making connections with youth. Perhaps not with the original troop but you were given a talent to work with youth and it should not be hid under a bushel basket or burried in the backyard

[OneHour]

Stosh ... for me ... it's for all of the boys in the Troop! Sometimes, I feel guilty not spend enough time with my own! I feel guilty that I make myself available for other people sons whereas my own have to struggle getting their requirements signed off. For example, my second tried to arrange to complete two partial merit badges with an ASM who happens to mb counsel those mb. The ASM told him to meet during troop meeting and during troop meeting, he didn't have time to work with my son!

 

I chose the 1Hour as my pen name for a reason. It takes 1 hour per boy per week! I would go to troop meeting and would stay 1/2 to 1 hour past troop meeting to work with them on requirements and mb. Do you know what's funny? There would be 2-3 other ASMs there, but my line is always the 4-5 deep. I would tell them to go to the other ASMs and that they could help the scouts, but they would say ... "I'll wait, Mr." I would dedicate 2 hours on Thursday and weekend for merit badge work with the scouts at the local Star Buck (my excuse to pay for those overpriced, overhyped, but darn good coffee).

 

... I just hope that y'all don't mistaken this as a self-pity thread ...

 

Self Pity

 

I never saw a wild thing

sorry for itself.

A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough

without ever having felt sorry for itself.

 

DH Lawrence

 

Perhaps, this is a part of me feeling guilty for having recruited so many boys to this Troop, a part of me that cannot be there to stand up for them. You have to understand the "tough it up, you're a man" attitude of the adult leaders of the troop to appreciate what I said. Those hours of comforting a homesick scout were laughed at ... I was even asked as to why I baby'ing them ... they need to tough it up! They need to learn to be a man. One of those boys whom most of the other 6 scoutmasters in the troop had wrote him off (betting that he will quit) is 2 merit badges away from being a Life. He promised me that he would finish his Eagle.

 

... and yes, a man does cry, not physically, but internally!

[evmori]

OGE is right on the money! Scouting is about the boys! Hence the name! Don't let your God given talent go to waste! If that means switching Troops, so be it!

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

[Eagledad]

I don't know that you will be able to sort this out all that quickly. I felt the same as you are describing when I retired as the Scoutmaster. That was after knowingly preparing myself for a year to step back and let another very fine person take my place. It just hurts.

 

Barry

[SemperParatus]

OneHour,

 

Your tinder is still a bit wet from the drenching rains of November, but it is definitely drying out nicely. The waiting can be frustrating, but is a great time to start collecting some logs for the flame when it does return (and it will). Continue with your youngest and watch your budding eagle as he develops. Your own words tell me you have never been far from the meaning of scouting.

 

Semper

[Kudu]

There was a time when Eagle Scout stood for the absolute mastery of outdoor skills. Total exertion in the wild, intimate interaction with nature, and public service to the community shaped real values based on the absolute certainty and self-confidence of being comfortable in your own skin in all situations.

 

Now we hand out Eagle badges to boys who have never walked into the woods with a pack on their back! If they have completed the written requirements then they certainly deserve it, but it does not "mean" anything. Their parking lot "values" are just opinions.

 

Eagle Scout is just a rank.

 

Get over it.

 

99% of all that is wrong with the BSA would be solved by training Patrols to camp 100 yards apart. Make that happen by staffing ad hoc High Adventure training activities in your Council. You will find that many real Scouts still exist on the edge and your faith in Scouting will be restored.

 

Kudu

 

[OneHour]

Kudu, with all due respect, if

 

Eagle is just a rank and for me to get over it, then what you are saying is:

 

Scouting is just a club.

Scout Oath is just some saying.

Scout Law is just 12 words.

 

Then what are we all doing here? Why are you fighting for the Patrol Method? Why do I care to even try to figure out how to get the scouting spirit back into me? What my oldest son and his friends just earned through their hard work and leadership meant nothing to no one!

 

Barry is right. It hurts! It's the reason why I am trying to figure out whether or not I should overcome my pride, give in, and come back to the scouts!

 

It's not the Eagle that bothered me! It's the fact that an older boy is bullying younger scouts and nothing other than a simple scoutmaster conference was done! I have a problem with the same boy's father who serves as an ASM being a double-standard hyprocrite! I have a problem with the same man who constantly yells and being tough on the boys without any recourse by the Troop while all along allowing his son to do whatever he pleases! I have a problem with a Troop that continues to allow this pair of father/son to continue to exist within the troop. I have a problem with all that I have done for the Troop amounted to nothing!

 

With all due respect, I still believe in the ideals of scouting and what an eagle stands for! If that is your intention to bring me back to believing ... it worked!

 

Kudu, et. al, you all to me are what the spirit of scouting is all about!

 

Thank you ...

[AnneinMpls]

OneHour,

Looking over your options...

Which option gives you a sense of peace?

 

Anne in Mpls

[rjscout]

OneHour,

 

I saw some spark in that last post. It sounds like you still have that spirit to continue. I am only at the Pack level with CM on the horizon, but I hope that I have your passion when my son crosses over (hopefully) and becomes a Boy Scout. I am having fun being back into scouting. It was all sparked by seeing scouters like you at a combined OLS/BALOO training. I was just there for BALOO, but after seeing the other scouters, I wanted to be there for the WHOLE weekend. My enthusiasm grows as I read posts from scouters like you.

 

Good luck in your quest.

 

Rob

[Eamonn]

OneHour,

The "Meaning of Scouting" can be found in the Vision and Mission statements of the BSA.

 

It is up to each of us volunteers to decide how much time we want to devote to Scouting or if we want to be involved.

We can in some ways decide where we volunteer.

 

Scouting and the BSA does at times have problems, some of these problems at times do rub off on us and do effect us.

When this happens to me, I tend to look at my options.

The list of options does of course change, depending on the situation.

As a rule it starts off looking something like:

Do Nothing Let the situation ride and hope that it will somehow someway sort itself out.

Fight For What I Think Is Right!

I of course have to deep down believe that I'm in the right (Spending time finding out if I am or not, does help prevent me looking like a real twit!) Even through I say it myself I'm a good "Fighter"! Do I always win? Of course not! Most times some sort of a compromise is met which if nothing else helps everyone save face.

Do Something Else.

Back in 2004, I wasn't a happy camper.

We had a new DE. I was District Chair and I had a very low opinion of him (My fault.) I wasn't overjoyed at who was selected to be Council President. The Council finances were in a real mess. The SE was a nice guy, but wasn't a good SE. When my 3 year term was up, I was happy to move on and do something else.

I was saddened to see what was going on. In fact at times I was upset when I seen a lot of the good stuff I thought I'd done and worked hard on fall apart.

I took sanctuary in the Ship. Working with Scouts again, learning a new program, doing the things I was doing kept me busy, so busy that I didn't even bother to find out what was going on in the District and the Council.

The truth is that my knowing wasn't going to change anything and again deep down I knew that if I wasn't going to be part of the solution, which I didn't see!! I'd only become part of the problem and end up getting upset.

Things have changed, we have all new people.

People I like and enjoy working with and for. They have asked me to get involved. I have because of things at home made it clear how involved I'm going to be and once again I'm a happy little Eamonn.

Quit!

While each and everyone of us can quit and quitting is always an option. So far I have yet to use it.

I'm very selfish!! I enjoy my Scouting!! I enjoy the Scouts and like most of the people in Scouting, all my best friends are in Scouting.

I also don't like the idea of backing myself into a corner.

Please don't think for a minute that I'm in any way trying to pick on you.

But when I hear someone say "I had a principle that I must stand on." It to me seems to be saying "I'm not sure if I'm really right or not! But I don't want to end up with egg on my face!"

You need to ask yourself "What is the principle? -Think about it for a while.

Seems to me from what you have posted that you do miss what you were doing, you do enjoy spending time with the Scouts that you used to serve. In fact it seems to me from what you have posted that you want to return.

So it all comes down to your ego and your principle!

Returning might be a little uncomfortable for the first few minutes, days, but I'll bet you can ride out that storm.

You know that Scouting isn't about Scouts who might or might not be 100% worthy of the Eagle Scout Rank -Heck only about 5% of the Scouts we serve ever get that far!!

Will you have to eat humble pie for a while? Yes!!

But the bottom line is that true Scouting can be found in the Oath and Law, you promised to "Help other people". That oath didn't come with a time limit. -Your hooked!!

So stop moping around the house, give the SM a call tell him that you are returning, try and iron out any of the big differences you might have with him and get back to work!

Eamonn.