Basementdweller Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 So do you allow the PLC to schedule things on holidays or over holiday weekends????? Next year the PLC scheduled a campout on mothers day weekend........ I mentioned that mom wouldn't be that happy with the boys.......I know the wife won't be with me if I go camping that day....... They seem stead fast in their choice........ Suggestions to help guide them from making this choice or do you have a troop policy against holiday camping??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blw2 Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 I'm not aware of any 'policy' for our pack, but I know taht we try to avoid some holidays for pack trips. The question as I see it, is which holidays? Poses a problem for blanket rules.... - Some holidays are perfect, becuase that's when you have a three day weekend. - Some holidays just aren't all that important to most folks. - Other holidays are important to most, but not all.... - Some holidays are popular for family outings -kids out of school, AND the parents have off - Other holidays not so much.... the kids have off but parents don't... I think it woould be too hard to have a blanket rule of NO HOLIDAYS..... you have to be smart about it.... group specific you know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2Eagle Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Have the PLC check with their parents for a reaction. People can have very widely varying views on holidays, including what even constitutes a holiday. My wife is completely indifferent as to whether we celebrate Mother's Day. But in terms of a present for the occasion she would probably welcome a weekend without anyone else in the house. On the other hand I know families where Mother's Day rivals or exceeds Christmas or Thanksgiving in terms of size and importance of celebration. In our troop we almost always plan a trip over Memorial Day and occasionally will schedule one of the two winter three day weekends, we stay away from July 4th and Labor Day because attendance will be sparse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZScout5 Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 While we haven't scheduled anything over Christmas or Spring break, we've considered it for a 3 day weekend that includes a holiday like president's day. Last month the troop camped May 11-13, Mother's Day weekend. I thought it was fine, great even, I had the house to myself and my boys and husband arrived home with chocolates. This weekend is our anniversary, and they are going camping. Again, house to myself, they've already given me flowers, and husband and I will probably go out for dinner Sunday. One of the council resident camps starts on Father's Day. No shortage of dad/scout campers (Webelos), and I know several troops leaving for summer camp that day as well. A lot depends on your families. You may want to ask the scouts what they normally do for the holiday they would miss. For holidays like Mother's Day, ask what they are going to do when they get back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKlose Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 As a youth, my favorite troop weekend of the year was Columbus Day weekend. We'd go off on an outing that had an extra day to it -- some of those outings were on the A.T. Backpacking in October is great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twocubdad Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Funny that folks get all torqued up over mothers day, but fathers day seems like the perfect opportunity for dad to take the kids somewhere or maybe mow the lawn. I've spend many fathers day setting up or breaking down day camp. That doesn't seem to bother anyone. We scheduled a campout mothers day one year. The most common reaction was "HEY YOU CAN'T GO CAMPING THEN, IT'S MOTHERS DAY! I'LL BE left ... all ... by ... my ....... Ya'll have fun! Call and let me know when you'll be back!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basementdweller Posted June 8, 2012 Author Share Posted June 8, 2012 Well they are talking about backpacking over thanksgiving weekend as well....Leaving friday and back sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kari_cardi Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Our local council regularly schedules spring outdoor training on Mother's Day weekend, so they must not think it is an issue. I find that the first two weekends in May, including Mother's Day, are very busy with graduations, birthdays and religious celebrations. So I would push for a date later in the month for those reasons. I'm wondering now why my husband always seems to be gone for Father's Day and his birthday. Is scouting the reason or the excuse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NealOnWheels Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 When I was a Scoutmaster the PLC planned a campout over Mother's Day. Wow, that did not go over very well with the mother's. I did not realize Mother's Day was so sacred. Every other year after that I suggested the PLC not plan anything for that weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tampa Turtle Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 I am always at Summer camp on Father's Day but it seems appropriate; Mother's Day better be around to play homage and then take them away for a while if needed. We base our around the Tampa Buccaneer schedule a bit, Superbowl, Gasparilla (our big parade her), various exam times and standardized tests, the public school schedule, religious holidays (we ask around for the Jewish and Muslim ones, etc--we have avoided activities a few times when those practioners could care less), and big fundraisers. So our schedule seems pretty fixed from year to year even if the actual scout activities vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weblinger08 Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 We've had several campouts on Mothers Day as a Pack, this year was our Councils 100th anniversary Camporee. Most Moms either come along, or are glad to have the house to themselves. My wife's favorite was two years ago, her bithday and mother's day on the same weekend, and I took both kids camping :') Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosetracker Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 I don't mind Mothers day either.. It's a Sunday anyway, normally the boys are back by noon.. Half a day of peace & quiet, they are home early enough to bbq dinner.. If though your wife will not be a happy camper, then the question is do you have other adult leaders who can go instead? SM does not mean you need to go on all trips.. You should have some ASM's or even well trained Committee Members who could make the event, and you stay home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beavah Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Yah, trust the boys, eh? They probably know their families better than you do, and if not, it will be a learning experience for 'em of a good sort. I know some troops that stay off of holidays. I know other troops who tend to schedule campouts on holiday weekends to make use of da extra day. I think yeh occasionally run into family vacation conflicts for a few kids, but otherwise it seems to work just fine for 'em. I used to think Christmas at least was "sacred", but I've seen high adventure groups take off on international trips over the Christmas holiday with good attendance. Beavah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horizon Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 I have Catholics, Evangelicals, Jewish, Buddhist and Muslim Scouts. I have kids in year-round school, regular schedule, homeschool and private school. Add in SAT test days, PSAT test days, AP test days, and various tournaments for athletics. There is no way to avoid all events. We assume a 50% participation rate for any given campout. Other that skipping Christmas day overlap (the majority celebrate Christmas), we just try to get outdoors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMHawkins Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I mentioned that mom wouldn't be that happy with the boys.......I know the wife won't be with me if I go camping that day....... They seem stead fast in their choice........ Suggestions to help guide them from making this choice or do you have a troop policy against holiday camping??? Well, in order to go on the campout, the scouts need two things: 1) permission from their families, and 2) a couple of appropriate adults who are available to go with them that weekend. After the PLC plans the year, the adults should sit down to see if they can schedule adequate coverage for all the events. If nobody can make it for a particular trip (say, for instance, because it's Mother's Day and the leaders all have other plans), then you go back to the PLC and say, "well, we're okay for the January through April trips, and June through December, but we don't have anyone who can make it on the date you scheduled for your May campout. Remember I said it was Mother's Day? All the ASMs have plans. If you want to move it to the weekend before, I and Mr. Smith can go, or if you move it to the weekend after, Mr. Jones and Mr. Jackson can go. What do you want to do?" OTOH, if Smith and Jones are willing to go on Mother's Day, fine. The authority to make the plan comes with the responsibility to make the plan work. There are resources they need to pull it off, and if they're too stubborn in their negotiations with those resources, they may have a bit of a problem making the plan work. Good lesson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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