We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

[Eamonn]

Over the years I have watched my Son grow up.

We live out in the sticks.

In the nearly 18 years we have lived here we have only had 3 religious groups at the door and have never had a kid come trick or treating.

At Day Care,he became very friendly with another little Lad and for a while they were close. We did the birthday party thing and I have enough video to make a documentary about the two boys.

When kindergarten came along, I sent my Son to the Catholic school and his little buddy Luke went to the public school. Over time they moved and drifted apart. I bump into Luke's dad every-now and then, we exchange Christmas cards and I think he looked two years ago at the open house we have every Christmas. Luke was going to Spain, I'm not sure why.

There were 18 kindergrtners in OJ's class. Eleven were girls. At that time he wasn't very interested in girls. Of the boys, there was one that he just didn't seem able to get along with. They seemed to do more than their fair share of fighting.

Her Who Must Be Obeyed, is not the social type. She is very shy and is not very out going.

I was at the time very busy chasing the mighty dollar. But I found the time to coach these little guys in soccer. The School also kept me doing more than I really wanted to do. There was always something going on and as the School was connected to the church, soon I was doing stuff there as well.

OJ,joined the pack. His Den was the same kids as he went to school with. I was at the time registered in the BSA, serving on a do nothing committee that met twice a year. This suited me fine, I was really busy. I had two restaurants to run, the School and the Church stuff; I didn't need any more.

A note came home telling us that the Cubmaster and the Assistant Cubmaster were leaving and very soon after I was the new Cubmaster.

OJ, was like most CM's kids very active in the pack and was still playing soccer.

I became dissatisfied with the education he was receiving so I moved him from the Catholic School system into the public school. I also made him take 3rd Grade again.

Now all the Lads in his Den not only don't go to the same school as he does, but they are a year ahead of him.

I'm having a great time being CM. The pack is doing well. It grows from 18 Cub Scouts to almost 70. We have great Den Leaders and a wonderful committee. I have given up coaching soccer and don't have the school and as much to do for the church. I'm serving on the District Committee as the District Training Chair and I'm asked to become District Commissioner.

OJ, is a Webelos Scout. The ACM really wants to try his hand at being CM,so I let him.

Poor OJ is dragged to just about every District and Council event. He doesn't complain, not that it would have done him much good if he had!!

Looking back I think he was a lot more wise than I gave him credit for being.

While he was tagging along with me, he was watching and evaluating the Scoutmasters in the district.

He couldn't wait to be done with Cub Scouting. He didn't pick or choose a Troop he choose a Scoutmaster. He was the only one from the pack that went to the Troop that he went too.

I don't know if our circumstances are that very different from everyone else on the planet?

But the idea that Lad's crossing over from the Pack to the Troop are all good pals and having them all in the NSP, because they are all good pals, doesn't ring true in our case.

In the HS year book he is down as the student with the most school spirit. He is never home. He attends just about everything. Cheering on just about every school team. He plays soccer, does track, performs in the school play, sings in the choir. The SM he choose quit Scouting so he changed Troops. He is active in the Ship and very active in the OA.

I like to think I know most if not all of his friends. But it's hard. He has different groups of friends.

Last year he served on Camp Staff and of course many of the other staffers were active in the OA. It seems that this is the group that he spends most of his free time with. Many of them have joined the Ship.

I am 100% for the Patrol method, but I question the idea that a group of Lad's will remain close friends for as long as they are in the Troop.

They will grow and interests will change.

They will stay with their Patrol if they really feel it is their Patrol, but at the end of the meeting they will go home with the guys who share the same interests as they do.While a lot of the time age will be a factor, it isn't all the time.

We have a 14 year old in the Ship who thinks OJ is really cool (I have no idea why??) OJ, seems happy to allow him to tag along and is in his own way taking him under his wing.

While I'm not going to tell OJ, but I kinda think this is what we do.

Eamonn.

[purcelce]

Nice post....

At least my reply will keep this up for one more day!

[t158sm]

People grow apart, that's just a part of life.

Age doesn't always determine who one's friends will be.

The best we can hope is that we've taught them well and that they choose because of what's in someone's heart.

[ASM59]

Yes, nice post and good thoughts. OJ's experience must be somewhat unique since he was so involved in Council/District activities as a Cub/Webelos. I find it very impressive that he was willing to go somewhere other than where his friends were going. He must have been very confident and out-going.

 

We have 7 new cross-over Scouts (6 from our local Pack, one from a neighboring town). Since we have 7, I think we will create a NSP. These Webelos have been on several outings with us over the past two years, but still don't know the older boys very well and are pretty close to each other (6 of them have been together since Tigers).

 

If they start out as a NSP, should they stay together? Or should they be integrated into the existing patrols at some point?

 

ASM59

[Proud Eagle]

Good post, Eamonn.

 

ASM59,

Ideally, you should let the boys decide. If they want to stay together, let them. If they want to join other patrols, then that is probably the way to go.