Any Current or Former Boys Scouts of America?

[indieretailer]

My 8 year-old son is currently a Cub Scout. He attends the meeting with his dad, my husband, at the neighborhood pack---the oldest pack in our city.
It has been a great, positive experience for him as he's learning to "be prepared" and gain a sense of self-confidence in acquiring practical life skills.
Our pack may be held at a church, that allows us to use their facilities, but the troop is managed in very secular manner.

As one of those open -minded Democrat types, I had my misgivings about having my son become a Boy Scout due to what little I knew about the legal situations regarding the organization during the past years. But now, I would like in the local efforts to recruit more boys to join the group.

Can anyone shed a light on this for me by sharing their experiences with Boy Scouts?

[Found in Boston2]

It looks like you guys are taking a very active parental role. With such a strong foundation at home, I think you've prepared your son well to face the real world.

Boy Scouts will definitely add to his confidence, but I don't think it will in anyway undo the great lessons you've taught him at home.

[purplefdu]

My father and both grandfathers were both in Boy Scouts, with my granddad being a Den Leader for many, many years (on both sides). Being a girl I wasn't in Boy Scouts, but I was in Girl Scouts until senior year of high school where I gave up since I was blocked from completing my silver and gold awards without redoing my work after moving.

I loved every minute from being a Daisy to a Brownie, etc. We moved alot but there is always a girl scout troop, or you can work independently and hook up with other girls at camping weekends. I got scholarships to go to summer camp to fill the cost not paid for by the grant I earned through cookie sales each year. Being a shy, geeky person Scouts gave me somewhere I knew I would be accepted for who I was.

Scouting is rooted in religion to a degree, but being a recovering Catholic (and a Roman Catholic at that) I never had too much issue and in today's PC world it shouldn't be too bad. There are definitely no religion badges which is helpful. We always met at the school or someone's home, I don't think I've seen many outside those places.

Although it seems Boy Scouts have been plagued with more issues than the girls I have no doubt that when administered properly by responsible adults scouting is a well rounded preparation for citizenship and a good human being who is prepared to do their share.

[King of Cheap]

A lot of my friends were in the Scouts. It gave them a lot of confidence and a sense of purpose. Parts of the scouting experience looks like the military but it really isn't like that. It actually encourages independent thinking.

[gt0163c]

I was an explorer in high school for a while but got bored with it after a few months (and yet another tour of yet another Ford plant that I had already toured with some other group). I was also a Girl Scout through all of elementary school. But I always wanted to be a real Boy Scout. It always seemed like they had a lot more fun and got to do a lot more cool stuff (like really go camping in tents and cooking over a fire and stuff) than the Girl Scouts did (lots of crafts and silly games).

Now I'm a volunteer high school youth leader with my church and can usually pick out the boys who've had scouting experience over those who haven't. Those who have generally are a lot more comfortable outdoors, are more confident in leadership situations and are less likely to have not be where they're expected to be when they're expected to be there. They're also, generally, more willing to help out and do the jobs that no one else wants to do. Not sure that scouting is the cause of all of this, it could be that boys with these type of personalities are more naturally drawn to scouting. But I will tell you that if I'm on a cross-country road trip and the van breaks down, I'd rather have a couple of scouts or former scouts along than just about any other group. They just seem to have learned a lot of great lifeskills in scouts.

[purplefdu]

lol, being an independant scout I got togo primitive camping all I wanted bet part of not having to drag along other girls.

[starshard0]

I was in the scouts from Cub Scouts up until 2nd class, it was a lot of fun when I was a kid, but I eventually grew out of it and finally got out. It was an alright experience, but I don't feel I learned any particularly useful skills and always being told what to do and how to act can really put a damper on a child's creativity and feeling of independence. He may be enjoying it now, but if he starts to become bored with it, I wouldn't push him to continue. Scouting isn't for everyone.

[Julie Rains]

I was a girl scout (for some of my HS career) and my youngest son is a Boy Scout, getting ready to try out for his First Class. I think the scouting experience is great but I can see how the experience can vary not just by troop but also by individual. The troop philosophy can vary as can the leadership and the mix of the kids. The only thing I would say is that is helpful for the kids to want to be in scouts and not the parents who want their kids in scouts -- the "outcome" will vary greatly depending on the source of motivation.

Cub Scouts gets kids used to Boy Scouts but Boy Scouts can be much more intense -- there are weekly meetings, monthly weekend outings, some home study, weekly camps during the summer, and more. The outdoor activities and skills are great for kids to learn; a new troop that my child is considering joining (another story) is planning on emphasizing leadership, which seems like others in the forum have experienced or witnessed in other scouts.

[lolCoin]

hope a better article

[sprettyman]

I participated in the Girl Scouts from when you first join (1st grade i think) until I graduated from High School. Not only did I learn a lot of life long lessons but it also opened a number of doors for me that may not have been there if I was not in the Girl Scouts. I finished all the way to the end which is earning your Gold Award (equivalent to the Boy Scout Eagle). Having this award helped me to gain college scholarships and it also looks great on resumes and applications. The council that I belonged to gave me the lifetime membership when I completed my gold award and I have continued to be a part of the Girl Scouts. I do talks at local meetings and help out at cookie sales. I look forward to my girls becoming Scouts when they get old enough, because it will provide great opportunities and teach many skills.