Jan. 29, 2007
crème de la crème
Posted in PTT
My son joined the Boy Scouts last Spring after 2 years in Webelos/Cub Scouts. We had resisted Scouts prior to homeschooling because of the time commitment, and because I foolishly thought that what was taught there was duplicated in other experiences he might have (church, etc.) I had no idea of the depth of knowledge he would acquire from Scouts. When we started homeschooling and I felt compelled to orchestrate his socialization, I looked into Scouts. The leader assured me that Cub Scouts was a low time and money commitment. Then I had to order the $70 uniform and felt slightly misled, but I digress.
Cub Scouts was fun and a good experience, but I have been completely blown away by the Boy Scouts. He belongs to a homeschool Boy Scout troop, and the leaders are Godly homeschool dads. The boys are Godly young men with manners and goals and honor (oh my!) The first night Spenser was there, one of the boys immediately impressed my husband-- the seasoned Scouts were gathered around a table when Spenser and another new Scout walked in. This young man welcomed them, introduced himself and made the other guys make room for the newbies.
Our troop excels. Last year at camp, out of 200 campers, there were something like 19 Honor Campers. Our troop had 11 of them. We have several boys on the road to Eagle-- and some of them are only 13 years old! These guys are truly the cream of the crop, and I am so happy for Spenser to be a part of them. He needs Godly men in his life (he has a wonderful dad, but reinforcements are always nice!)
Tonight was our Court of Honor, and we had 5 advancements, including 2 new Life Scouts (one step away from Eagle.) We had probably 10-12 new merit badges (including Spenser who received his rifle shooting badge,) We had a covered dish supper-- the boys were last in line, and they are the ones who cleaned up afterwards. I am so proud of Troop 777!
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Comments
Jan. 30, 2007 - Untitled Comment
 Posted by Anonymous
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I love hearing about your son's experience in scouts. I have seriously considered involving C in Scouts, too, and was concerned about time commitment. Isn't it amazing how your perspective changes when you homeschool??
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with this troop - what a great group of youth! Excellent PTT post!
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Jan. 30, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Anonymous
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The comment above is mine (didn't mean for it to be unsigned!
Kelly, Pass the Torch
http://www.2passthetorch.com
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Jan. 30, 2007 - My friends son got eagle scout
Posted by ktneis
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When she graduated her son from homeschool she did the eagle scout rewards with it at church. A great honor and acheivement for his resume. He is now teaching a pack. Great guy. I hope your son continues to find it rewarding.
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May. 30, 2008 - So - All's normal?
Posted by Anonymous
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I'm glad you've found a troop that your son fits well with; however, it seems you've missed a few things about Scouting.
Scouting is about advancing boys to men, not Scouts to Eagle Scouts. Attaining Eagle Scout is a sign of growth into a young man, and while there must be requirements, simply bumrushing the merit badge list and leadership positions to reach Eagle qualification at the bare minimum age of 13 is not indicative of anything but that: rushing.
A cornerstone of a turly great Scouting experience is also diversity. Scouting is a worldwide movement, it's a national movement, and it's a community movement. As such, Scouts should be exposed to an array of people with an array of backgrounds working toward common goals. A troop that is an enclave of a miniscule segment of society slights its members this unique aspect of Scouting that other groups you cited (church, sports teams etc) don't offer.
I'm very glad to be a leader in Scouting and to have the opportunity to work with young men like your son as they grow, and I'm glad your son has found Scouting as a tool for socialization. But, I do hope that you will gain a greater understanding of the purposes, values, origins, and reasoning of the Scouting program so that your son *can* get the full, real, Scouting experience.
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