I hope this doesn't sound like a rant, but I would like to hear what some of you guys have to say about the Boy Scouts and see if your opinions are the same as mine. I was the Assistant Scoutmaster for a Troop for a year, and I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get out, to much BS. I'm pretty sure that BSA no longer stands for Boy Scouts of America and now stands for Baby Sitters Association. What happened, when i was in the scouts it was hardcore, and now, its just so not. It seems the Boy Scouts has become a mere shadow of its once former glory. And it all starts with...
THE PARENTS
What kind of parents are people(in general) becoming. How dare you drop your kid off at the meetings and then patronize me when it didn't cover the perticular merit badge your son has been wanting to do. Here is an idea, Spend some time with your own child and raise him into a man yourself, do not depend solely on the Boy Scouts to do this for you. I may not be part of the national office, but I don't think the Boy Scouts are there to raise your young men.
And please parents know that if a Scoutmaster yells at your child, its for a good reason. No scoutmaster would ever yell at a boy who didn't at least in part deserve it. If a Scoutmaster yells at your son for having his knife blade come within 3 inches of of another scouts head, and then takes a corner from his chip. Do not come to the next meeting telling anyone they should not have done that or saying it could have been handled differently, or the Scoutmaster could have pulled him aside later privately so as not to embarass him.
And if your son is in charge of making the nights campfire for dinner to be prepared on, and he can't do it within 2 hours with a flint and steel, please parents do not make the mistake of thinking its not your sons fault. There is not a Scoutmaster alive who has not spent hours showing your son how to build and start a fire from flint and steel repeatedly. It is not the Scoutmasters fault that when he asks "Are there any questions, did everyone understand how to do that, I would love to show you again," your son said yes i understand it and i could repeat it. Its also not the Scoutmasters fault that he didn't practice starting a fire at home like he should have, under your supervison, which you prolly never gave him.
I could go on and on with this. but now for the next reason, and god help you if you get a...
Liberal Person In Charge.
I am not calling out anyone from council, this is more of the adults that are on committies or in charge at all. But I must question why you would ever get involved in a troop if all you are gonna do is complain. If you think that campouts are getting to expensive, than organize a fund raiser. Do Not Depend on anyone doing this for you. Also don't take crap from parents about their scouts not being able to make the cookout after 4 weeks of advanced notice and then pass that crap along to me. Here is an idea, if the scout doesn't participate in the fund raiser, he shouldn't get any of the benifits from it either. To many other scouts bust their butts on fundraisers to see a scout that didn't participate get the benifits from it, what is that teaching our young men today?
And to the people on the Boards of Review, do not be afraid to tell a lazy scout that they have not earned rank because they have performed to usatisfactory levels. What you are doing by passing them along is no different that school children who can't read being passed along. Stop It. Again what is this showing the boys, its showing them they can half ass things and still get moved along. There is a reason that its called Earning rank not being Given rank. But they can't get to there Boards of Review without...
A Weak Minded Scoutmaster. This is not what i was, i was an Assistant Scoutmaster. But weak minded scoutmasters would rather be loved by all than to uphold the boy scout rules and traditions. This is what I really couldn't take. Dispite many of my times contacting the head of council about how to handle things and what to do, the Scoutmaster would do his own thing. he would give scoutmaster conferences before the rank time had been acheived, he would initial for the community service parts of rank when no community service had been given. And he would bend to the will of parents all the time. and he would make the Scout Law mean nothing. It was more of a popularity contest with him, and making the boys like scouts at all costs. Not every young man has what it takes to be a boy scout, there are rules and the Scout law,
A Scout is
trustworthy,
loyal,
helpful,
friendly,
courteous,
kind,
obedient,
cheerful,
thrifty,
brave,
clean, and
reverent.
And a scout is either all of these things or not a boy scout.
And the only reason that i didn't report any of this to council is that the scoutmaster is my best friend, i just didn't realize how much of a hippy he was.
I wonder if the Boy Scouts will ever turn back into the Organization it once was. And to a better point, how will the BSA get hardcore enough to make it seem like a cool organization again. Lets face it, it looses half its members in the middle school to high school transition. My thoughts on this, Add more Gun merit badges, that always keeps the kids attention.
THE PARENTS
What kind of parents are people(in general) becoming. How dare you drop your kid off at the meetings and then patronize me when it didn't cover the perticular merit badge your son has been wanting to do. Here is an idea, Spend some time with your own child and raise him into a man yourself, do not depend solely on the Boy Scouts to do this for you. I may not be part of the national office, but I don't think the Boy Scouts are there to raise your young men.
And please parents know that if a Scoutmaster yells at your child, its for a good reason. No scoutmaster would ever yell at a boy who didn't at least in part deserve it. If a Scoutmaster yells at your son for having his knife blade come within 3 inches of of another scouts head, and then takes a corner from his chip. Do not come to the next meeting telling anyone they should not have done that or saying it could have been handled differently, or the Scoutmaster could have pulled him aside later privately so as not to embarass him.
And if your son is in charge of making the nights campfire for dinner to be prepared on, and he can't do it within 2 hours with a flint and steel, please parents do not make the mistake of thinking its not your sons fault. There is not a Scoutmaster alive who has not spent hours showing your son how to build and start a fire from flint and steel repeatedly. It is not the Scoutmasters fault that when he asks "Are there any questions, did everyone understand how to do that, I would love to show you again," your son said yes i understand it and i could repeat it. Its also not the Scoutmasters fault that he didn't practice starting a fire at home like he should have, under your supervison, which you prolly never gave him.
I could go on and on with this. but now for the next reason, and god help you if you get a...
Liberal Person In Charge.
I am not calling out anyone from council, this is more of the adults that are on committies or in charge at all. But I must question why you would ever get involved in a troop if all you are gonna do is complain. If you think that campouts are getting to expensive, than organize a fund raiser. Do Not Depend on anyone doing this for you. Also don't take crap from parents about their scouts not being able to make the cookout after 4 weeks of advanced notice and then pass that crap along to me. Here is an idea, if the scout doesn't participate in the fund raiser, he shouldn't get any of the benifits from it either. To many other scouts bust their butts on fundraisers to see a scout that didn't participate get the benifits from it, what is that teaching our young men today?
And to the people on the Boards of Review, do not be afraid to tell a lazy scout that they have not earned rank because they have performed to usatisfactory levels. What you are doing by passing them along is no different that school children who can't read being passed along. Stop It. Again what is this showing the boys, its showing them they can half ass things and still get moved along. There is a reason that its called Earning rank not being Given rank. But they can't get to there Boards of Review without...
A Weak Minded Scoutmaster. This is not what i was, i was an Assistant Scoutmaster. But weak minded scoutmasters would rather be loved by all than to uphold the boy scout rules and traditions. This is what I really couldn't take. Dispite many of my times contacting the head of council about how to handle things and what to do, the Scoutmaster would do his own thing. he would give scoutmaster conferences before the rank time had been acheived, he would initial for the community service parts of rank when no community service had been given. And he would bend to the will of parents all the time. and he would make the Scout Law mean nothing. It was more of a popularity contest with him, and making the boys like scouts at all costs. Not every young man has what it takes to be a boy scout, there are rules and the Scout law,
A Scout is
trustworthy,
loyal,
helpful,
friendly,
courteous,
kind,
obedient,
cheerful,
thrifty,
brave,
clean, and
reverent.
And a scout is either all of these things or not a boy scout.
And the only reason that i didn't report any of this to council is that the scoutmaster is my best friend, i just didn't realize how much of a hippy he was.
I wonder if the Boy Scouts will ever turn back into the Organization it once was. And to a better point, how will the BSA get hardcore enough to make it seem like a cool organization again. Lets face it, it looses half its members in the middle school to high school transition. My thoughts on this, Add more Gun merit badges, that always keeps the kids attention.
