Anyone else involved in Boy Scouts?

[Project325]

Here's the run down...

My boy is finally old enough to get involved in scouting. I remember when I was a kid and how much fun it was, so I volunteered to help out. There are 4 dads in all and I was appointed as a Tiger Cub assistant leader. Wanting to be the best assistant leader I could, I completed the necessary classes to be an officially trained cub scout leader (no other dads have completed this training).

So, today was our first meeting with the boys. Low and behold, the other "leaders" totally threw me under the bus. No one was prepared for the meeting, so I had to man up and wing it.

Fortunately there were some scout council members there and were able to help me through it. I was also able to determine which of the boys were into it and which ones were going to be trouble. I've already had a short conversation with one kid's mom. Fortunately, my kid wasn't one of the trouble makers.

So, now I know what to expect from our meetings and am planning a coup to overthrow the other leaders and take over this thing.

Anyway, that's my rant. Any opinions or advice about dealing with 6-8 year-old boys is appreciated! Don't get me wrong, I'm totally excited about doing this. Just hasn't started off as awesome as I thought. Thanks!

 

[matefrio]

Different troops = Different ways things are run. Good for you getting the training. That age the parents are key to getting requirements done. It's that way though Webelos.

Tiger cub - Webelos we call "parent training" around here to get parents invested in their kids and help them see their kids through Eagles .

Focus on the kids not your status in the troop. You should be the best volunteer and worker for the kids and the program will run it'self without the adult politics. I feel you're thinking about it wrong if you want to take over.

I'm working with an older crew now. 12 and 13 year olds following my son though the program. This age teaching the boys to step up and lead is the issue.

My leadership is calling it scrambled and burnt pancake method.

Kids make their own breakfast and even if the pancake is scrambled and burnt it's the best one ever cause they made it. We let them choose and the adults are the enablers... we help them lead.

About training - It protects you and the BSA org. from lawyers. It's a PITA to do and there is more red tape today than yesterday to do anything as an adult leader. It's for the kids though and those adults NEED to get trained.

Keeping kids that age on task is about structure. Part of that is uniforms and doing the same thing EVERY meeting. It should be written out and on a poster board in front of the kids.

Flag Ceremony, Prayer, Tiger Cub Oath, Lesson time, game, awards etc, parent pickup time. It needs to be infront of the boys so they can transition or stay ahead of the transition and be the same each week. Start the same, End the same, transition to activities the same every time and you'll cut your battles in half.

 

[tdwhite03]

My son is almost old enough for cub scouts and I plan on getting him involved. I thought I would get involved as well but have some concerns since the BOA have some anti-gun policies.

 

[matefrio]

My son is almost old enough for cub scouts and I plan on getting him involved. I thought I would get involved as well but have some concerns since the BOA have some anti-gun policies.

PARENTS may have an anti gun attitude. PM me with your concerns about the rules of the BSA. I don't have any issues with their rules.

 

[TexasR.N.]

Den leader for my sons pack (Wolf).

 

[majormadmax]

Been there, done that. My colonel in Belgium was the Cubmaster and naturally once our son was old enough, he joined the Pack. I was a Tiger leader and my assistant was a Special Forces master sergeant, and we had 30 (yep, thirty) kids in our den. With Tigers, the parents are suppose to attend all events with their kids; but these must've thought that BSA stood for 'Baby Sitters of America!' It was brutal trying to keep that number of kids that age under control, we did a lot of physical activities to try to tire them out a little before doing anything that required their attention.

We continued with Scouts for a few years, to include our first year in Texas where I ended up being the Cub Master for a new Pack. That was the beginning of the end, I had so many parents skip out on their responsibilities that I ended up playing ad hoc den leader every meeting. It was just too much, and I ended up leaning on the few parents that I could count on so much that it because unbearable. Once my year was up, I told them I was done. My son was no longer interested because we did nothing together (my entire time was spent on Pack responsibilities that I should have had help with), and I was burnt out. I was retiring from the military and lost my Dad in a very short period, and I ended up giving the Pack an ultimatum to find a replacement. I got talked into remaining through the summer but honestly that just made my determination to get away from it all even greater as despite all my effort to set up activities, there was very little participation despite promises to the contrary. It ended when I dropped off all the Pack files at the first meeting of the year.

I had a few dedicated parents but for the most part I had a lot more who promised a lot and delivered little. I learned early on not to depend too much on most folks, and always have a back-up plan because inevitably someone would fail to do what they said they would at the most inopportune moment.

I love the concept of Scouting but from what I've heard from others my experience was not a unique one. In the end, my son and I simply started doing Scout-like activities on our own and things were enjoyable again. I wish it had worked out better, but unless you have a solid group of parents supporting the Pack, it is doomed to fail. That's a sad statement, but a true one...

Cheers! M2

 

[TexasR.N.]

So far so good. Our pack has 7 members and our first meeting went well, I can't imagine having 30 kids to manage.. We have a camp out coming up in October that I am looking forward to. No complaints at this time; I have a couple of really squared away dad's in the Boy Scouts who really know the ropes and have been a good resource for us.

Great topic IMHO.

 

[Younggun]

i was in cub scouts as a kid but the hand book never sat well with me. I can't recall all the details but i seem to remember the theme as follow without asking questions. At that age i was also reading fairenheit 451 and animal farm so it may have just merged together in my mind. But something just didn't seem right. It was not what it should hae been anyways. I remember doing tasks and never getting the beads (i think that is what you got for certain things). Anyways, probly just a bad experience with a poorly run chapter. I plan to just teach my kids in a home environment unless they request to join. Then i'll do my best to be there and ensure their experience is better than mine was.

 

[rosebud99]

one thing with the tiger cubs is to do the things you need to do ,but do the in a way to kids the kids interested and wanting to continue in scouts. having good parent who help can sure make all the difference in the world

 

[shortround]

I always donate five bucks every time I see scouts hanging out at Wal Mart looking for a contribution.

Better to give to them than a homeless bum with a sign at Murphy-USA.

Be well.