Yes, I AM a Boy Scout
Posted by The Perfessor 07 27th, 2005
You may have heard of this tragedy already, or perhaps you havent, but at the Boy Scouts of Americas International Jamboree, which is being held in Bowling Green, VA, four scout leaders were killed.
As a Boy Scout, Scout leader, and the father of a Scout, I can only express my deep, deep sorrow, and my sincerest sympathy for the family and friends of the Alaskan Scout leaders who died.
Jambo is supposed to be a time of camaraderie, and good times, I cant imagine what those Scouts who are there are going through. I know that we all have a load of fun and such here, but, please join with me in offering up prayers and good will towards the survivors and the families of the fallen, as well as for the souls of those who have gone on before us.
Thanks ever so much.
The Perfessor
I’m dropping my sweet little baby boy who shouldn’t be away from his Mommy (okay, he’s really 10) off next Sunday for a week of Cub Scout camp.
I can only imagine how exciting and momentous an occasion this trip was for the boys from Alaska, and how very sad that it turned so tragic. We’ll be adding our thoughts to yours.
Your boy is going to a sleep-away Cub Scout camp? Is the Hubby going with him, ‘cause for us, the rule in Cub Scouts was, “One Boy, one parent” at all times (unless you had two kids in Scouts). Plus, we never went longer than an overnight or a weekend. It is the Boy Scouts, that not only get to go longer, but are allowed to go solo (sans parent).
The Perfessor
The “one boy, one parent” rule is pretty much the standard…except at camp. I don’t think they have the space at Camp Carpenter (which has been a Cub Scout camp for eons—my husband’s older brother went there, I think) for every boy to bring his dad. They do, however, have enough guardians present to ensure that the adults are buddied up and not alone with the kids.
This is his third year going (and I think he could have gone one time before then), and it’s not any easier for Mom. Believe me, from Sunday afternoon when we drop him off until Thursday evening when we pick him—filthy and bug-bitten—there’s a little voice in my head chanting “One in four boys. One in four boys. One in four boys.”
And now I have eight days to be okay with it. Again. And then next year he’ll go to Boy Scout camp and we’ll deal with the newness and unknown all over again.
[...] That, however isn’t what I wanted to talk about hare (especially as I already mentioned it here). What I wanted to say here is that I am a Boy Scout. Yeah, I know that kicking the Boy Scouts has become something of a national sport lately, especially as we have come under fire as we — as an organization — not only require our boys to swear an oath to God (and, before you get yer knickers in a twist, we flat-out don’t care which of the nine billion names of the Deity to which you ally yourself), but we also refuse to allow girls in (girls can become members of our older, Explorer units), and we have a policy of not allowing either openly gay Scout leaders or youths to become a part of our organization. [...]
I heard a statistic once that something like 10% of all CEOs, CFOs and upper-level management in the country are Eagle scouts. Personally, I think that is a very cool thing. I, unfortunately, never made Eagle (I was 3 Merit badges and an Eagle project shy), and, to this day I regret never achieving that goal.
The Perfessor