I want to sign up my boys for scouting, but I know next to nothing about scouting here in America. I am not a stranger to this, my father and brother were/are scout masters, and my mother and I were cub masters...but that was a long time ago, in a country far away The scouts I see sometimes now in the grocery stores etc....with incomplete uniforms, collars tied improperly, badges askew, all sorts of things that would have been grounds for being sent home back in my day (no, I havent turned 85 yet!) make me wonder where and how I can find a proper group that still takes pride in their rules etc. I've been googling scouting groups in my area, but how do I tell which ones are good? Is there a national organization that rates the troops? Also, my other main concern is DH. He comes from a completely non-scouting background, has never known a single scout in his entire life (well, except for my family), and does not see any merits in it at all. Add to that the occasional news story about some scout leader who did something terrible to some poor boy, and DH has a very wrong idea of what scouting is.... What is the benefit of scouting, he asks... Can anyone help me with this?
Often times the District Council has a general idea of the atmosphere of each troupe. I'd start there. Let them know you want a troupe that has high standards in uniforms and behavior. Maybe they can steer you to the one who might fit. Either way, get a list of Scout leaders and do some phone interviews. I'd have saved myself a lot of headache last year if I'd have done that. So learn from my mistake... list out what's important to you and find out if the troupe will meet your expectations. No troupe is perfect, but your requirements should fit.
Thanks Amie! I will certainly look into the district council. I noticed a lot of the websites I was on boast the number of Eagle Scouts they have had as a means of showing their standards. Is that a good standard to judge by? The troupe I looked at said they had 57 Eagle Scouts since 1981....how good of a standard is that?
Hmmm... well, it's VERY difficult to make Eagle, so in many ways that is a good standard. I don't know what a decent percentage is (my boys are all still Cub Scouts for now). But a lot of Eagles means the troupe shoots for discipline and hard work. I'm sure other Scouting moms will have better input on this one.
My husband was in scouts all the way up to Eagle. My husband brags about his group was the only one to successfully boil an egg in water in paper bag...up in a tree in the rain while on a camping trip no less! I cannot image how one would build a fire in a tree in the rain, but there most be a way. Would one ever need to know that skill? Most likely not, but it was figuring out how to do it that was the challenge. Boy scouts is definitely challenging and is wonderful for male bonding.
I know there are wonderful Boy Scout troops and wonderful boys and leaders. I have not been involved in Scouts in many years. Too many issues to list them all but one that I have never forgotten is an Eagle Scout. Our foster daughter dated this young man. He was not nice to her and used her in every sense of the word. When she moved to our house he dropped her because we set rules for her dating and such. She had been pretty much on her own up until then. She told us they smoked pot and did some pills when they were dating. Anyway a few Sundays after he broke up with her was Scout Sunday at our church and guess who the Eagle Scout was that carried in the American flag. There he was looking like the all American boy. It really was a reality check for me. Now I know they are not all like that boy so don't think that at all. But I do think you are wise to check around before joining a troop.
