BOY SCOUTS - Moving up!!!!!!!!
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Two weeks ago my "little guy" moved up from Cubs to Boy Scouts. It was very emotional. You get a pin as a mom. They walk with you as parents across a bridge and are ceremoniously received by the new Boy Scout Troop.
Today was his first Merit Badge All Day fair where they work on badges toward Eagle Scout. He was the smallest and the youngest but he bravely joined the group dressed impeccably with t\his uniform and off he went to work on on Art and being a Citizen in the World.
A rite of passage.
Wow. I didn't know that. That is great!
John is in cub scouts. He won pinewood derby make your car and race it for den and pack so far.
#1 so far.
Now he has to beat Nassau county in ny.
He can do it! Go Go go!
AWESOME !!!!!
My son crossed over last year, I'm actually an Asst Scout Master (for the sole purpose of my son's comfortability, I REALLY don't like to camp!)
There are SO many advantages to scouting ... we're in girlscouts too (yepper, I'm a leader there as well) but it seems that boyscouts really REALLY have their act together. Even if you're having problems, there's a way to handle them, I'm constantly having to reinvent the wheel with girlscouts (think I said this last year too!)
But back to boyscouts ..... there are SO many programs out there ..... we are a small troop, one that wasn't very active until we crossed over and started lighting a fire under those already there. Myself and another mom (also an ASM) both go to roundtable every month, we get SO much information ... what I've learned is to familiarize yourself with the other councils, we are smack dab in the middle of two, belonging to one, but I check the other council's website regularly too, (actually I do that for the girlscouts as well).
We drove a couple of hours south to attend our first Merit Badge University a couple of weeks ago, unfortunately I had to turn around right before getting to the interstate because my son threw up, but I left him in care of dad, and continued on (three other boys in the car who wouldn't have gotten to go if I'd stayed back!) There are a LOT of things going on that you don't even know about unless you happen on them.
We have a LOT of fun, it gives my son an outlet. He's FINALLY comfortable with these boys (he's been with the same boys for three years now, but he's incredibly painfully shy) and for the troops first Senior Patrol Leader election, he felt comfortable enough to WANT to throw his name into the ring, he worked on his speech, he delivered his speech, and although another older and more experienced scout was elected SPL, he was elected Assistant Senior Patrol Leader .... I really felt that all of the time I've spent "in the woods" these last few years had started to pay off. NOT election part, but that he saw something he wanted, figured out what to do (the speech), and he didn't back out .... being elected that position was just icing on the cake. The achievement in my eyes, was that he even wanted to try ....
It has really made a difference for my son. And I know others who don't have his challenges possibly enjoy it even more. Possibly those who have mothers who ENJOY camping in the woods enjoy it even more too, but hey, I'm trying here!
Which council are you in ? We are in the Central FL Council, but like I said, we check all around the state for stuff to do.
My son's a First Class rank now .... it's important to know all the rules (of rank) yourself because it gets a tad bit confusing as you move up the ladder .... you can go at your own pace, but it's recommended to make First Class within a year of joining. It's VERY doable, and depends on how active the child is. Our boys have mostly moved up rank together (although this is more a cubscout thing than a boyscout thing, I'm told, they like to do things together so it's progressing naturally that way) and REALLY enjoy it.
Let me know if you have any questions ..... I'd suggest that you join scouts yourself (if you haven't already) just as a parent (if you don't want a leadership role) you can be a committee member, and that way you can stay involved OR at least know what's going on. Usually it's only one committee meeting/month. Possibly you don't want to get that involved yourself, I don't know, but what I DO know is that the committee members have a say in planning things .... it's really the BOYS who lead and plan (so they say), but the adults can steer things too!
SCOUTING is AWESOME !!!!!!!!!!!
:}
oops ... some typos in there, sorry about that ... I tried to fix them, but posted before they got fixed, please read what I MEANT and not what I SAID !!!
hahahaha
Thanks for the information harlena.
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