Challenges of Scoutmaster/Dads

[EagleInKY]

Thanks KS. If I may be so bold, we sound a lot alike (my son gets his good looks from his momma, too). I always try to stay out of his patrol's business. If, for some reason, we have an adult working with the patrols, and I need to be one of them, I make sure to take the other patrol. I think he appreciates the distance, especially since he's the PL.

[KoreaScouter]

Roger that; I try to get with a different one, too. It's difficult to characterize the nature of our relationship as a Scoutmaster/Scout overlaid with the father/son relationship. It's delicate (to me), but not awkward, and it certainly seems to be in equilibrium. If it wasn't, one of us would know and tell the other. He's almost 14 and I'm waiting for the time when he gets non-communicative and aloof (like they say teenage boys are supposed to around their parents), but we still get along fine, and communicate and relate to each other well.

 

KS

[Bob White]

My concern was less about the Scoutmaster/son relationship and based more on the behaviour of other adults and scouts. Too many folks behaved very immaturely based soley on the fact that the scout's parent was the SM. The problemy was mostly caused by adults where they assumed that favoritism was taking place no matter how much effort was made by the scout and scoutmaster to remain neutral. It just didn't seem right to taint my son's scouting with that kind of behavior. Agin this is a personal choice based on what I saw at the time I was a SM.

[Eamonn]

I have to find a way to stop agreeing with Bob White.

OJ is very active in all areas of Scouting. Not because I push him but because he wants to be. It is fair to say that as a family we have the means to send him just about anyplace that he wants to go. Still how we spend our money is up to us. Yet still I hear that he is only doing something because he is my son. This is not true.- He is doing what he wants to do.

Maybe I get more information and take the time to look at it then other parents. But that isn't my fault.

I was hoping that we would get to spend time together at the Jamboree, in fact I was kind of hoping that he might get elected SPL. He opted to attend as a staff member. It is going to be a pain driving him there and then coming home only to return a couple of days later. He has plans of driving himself but I'm not happy with that. He is thinking of trying to get on staff for the World Jamboree in 2007. Not a cheap undertaking but we will work it out. Not because I want it but because he does.

Eamonn

[Proud Eagle]

The Jamboree may be a non-issue depending on what staff position he has. I know that most of the staff from my council at the last Jambo rode on the buses with the participants. I think they had to be there about 2 days early, so the rest of us needed to be in the area for touring DC and what not, so they just got dropped off one day. Now if your council isn't doing touring for whatever reason (close proximitiy, save money, whatever) then just forget about all that.