Argh, Boy Scout Vent

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Please forgive the following rant. It's after 10pm here, I'm having a long stressful day at the end of a long stressful tour.

 

I just got a call from my middle son, who's away at a scout patrol-o-ree. He sounded like he was near tears.

 

The troop, which has a new scoutmaster, who is a kind and experienced guy, but keeps behaving as if he thinks the troop was a bunch of bad news bears types that needed a new sherrif to come into town, did not do their regular troop meeting before the campout getting all the gear out and tested.

 

So they are two hours away at a joint scouting event without enough tents because a bunch of the tents they brought are broken. It's after 10pm and it sounds like they still don't have things set up properly at the campsite (son mentioned a pile of personal gear at a site that isn't theirs. Their site was one of the farthest from the bus drop off points and they may not have enough room in the functional tents for scouts and gear).

 

Oh, and the scoutmaster had a massive communications problem over food between himself and the grubmasters from the junior patrol, which is the one patrol that has been getting menus and buying food right for the last six months.

 

Then, he realizes that he and his son and two other scouts didn't bring food for dinner (like they were supposed to per the permission slip) on the bus ride, so he has the rental bus waiting for 20 minutes while he and another adult run to McDonalds for food (like he didn't know an hour earlier that he hadn't brought food). Meanwhile, we'll end up paying for the time that the bus sat waiting for us to be ready to go. :confused:

 

My son was so obviously upset because he just stepped down from being quartermaster and was already frustrated that all of the gear pull out was being done in just an hour before the bus arrived. He also mentioned that they hadn't brought a cooler.

 

I am moving out of the country in less than a month, so I'm trying so hard to hand over the reins. But I am looking at the couple of been there, done that, got the square knot leaders who are supposed to be the voices of reason and experience and I'm wondering if they've never seen a checklist for getting ready for a campout.

 

ARGHHH.

 

Darn you people, I really don't need more annoying characters for my book. I'm surrounded by enough already.

[Jennifer in MI]

WOW!!!! That is insane! I'd be tempted to drive and get my child. I would NOT want him staying the night without the proper equipment.

 

We're new to scouts this year and if this kind of stuff were happening, I'd be quitting.

[QuirkyKapers]

I had the same thought as Jennifer, I would be tempted to drive and get my kid. However, these are the types of moments that create memories and funny stories;) Oh- and create character.....:D right? :001_huh:

 

It really is hard for the Mama Bear reaction not to kick in when things like this happen and your kids pay for it.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

WOW!!!! That is insane! I'd be tempted to drive and get my child. I would NOT want him staying the night without the proper equipment.

 

We're new to scouts this year and if this kind of stuff were happening, I'd be quitting.

 

They are in a campground with a lot of other scout troops, not in the back woods.

 

DS said that everyone had a place to sleep. He was mostly calling because he was so frustrated with the situation. And I don't blame him. He worked his tail off as quartermaster, spending hours getting ready for summer camp and hours cleaning gear on his own at home that the various patrol leaders had put away dirty. But they didn't want to listen to him because he's junior and young and they are either older or a bit higher ranking.

 

It ticks him off because he knows how good it could be if everyone would just put forth a little bit of effort. He's the kid who could run the world if everyone would just do what he told them. And sadly, he's usually right.:tongue_smilie:

 

I'm annoyed because even the scoutmasters that we had in the past who had their rough edges would have taken the time to make sure that the tents were checked out ahead of time. For that matter, we knew that a couple had gotten broken at one of the summer camps. So this is just a lack of preparation.

 

He's not in any danger. If the weather turned on them, there are a couple lodges where they could bunk. It's just stupid and unnecessary.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I had the same thought as Jennifer, I would be tempted to drive and get my kid. However, these are the types of moments that create memories and funny stories;) Oh- and create character.....:D right? :001_huh:

 

It really is hard for the Mama Bear reaction not to kick in when things like this happen and your kids pay for it.

 

I'm just overdosing on character developing opportunities at the moment.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Well it seems that the leaders managed to jury rig something for last night. A few of the scouts are headed home tonight. With that and one leader arriving this evening who is taking up one more tent, they should be ok for the day.

 

I'm sure I'll get an earful when they get home tomorrow.

[delaney]

That's so sad. Our scout troop is so well organized and runs so smoothly! I have never heard the horror stories like I hear on here!:grouphug:

[Sebastian (a lady)]

That's so sad. Our scout troop is so well organized and runs so smoothly! I have never heard the horror stories like I hear on here!:grouphug:

 

One of our quirks is being a troop of military families stationed overseas. Many of the dads who would love to be involved are deployed or traveling through most of the year.

 

We have were blessed to have an energetic scoutmaster who was shore based and had a good amount of pull and contacts around base, which helped to smooth the way at times. But while a few families are here for tour after tour, some stay as little as two years. The frequent turnover does cause a lot of stress on the leadership team. It's not uncommon to hand over a committee job to someone, knowing that they will have to turn it over in 9 months.

 

They aren't bad, walk away from scouting leaders. It was just such an avoidable problem. Even my 11 year old brand new 1st class scout could see that they should have pulled and checked all the tents they were taking. But assumptions were made. And the consequences for assumptions are what you might imagine.

 

Thank goodness this was the district event that is in a tidy little campground and that they had pretty clear weather (and only one little earthquake :D). If this had been Klondike Derby at the foot of Mt Fuji (where water freezes inside tents and one of our ASMs had his insulin freeze) or the spring Camp-O-Ree (which is at the beginning of the spring rainy season and is known for dumping inches of water over the weekend), it might have been quite different.

 

Anyway, the kids seem to learn as much from the campouts with hiccups as they do from those that run smoothly.

[Unicorn.]

Anyway, the kids seem to learn as much from the campouts with hiccups as they do from those that run smoothly.

 

Usually more.

[Michele B]

:grouphug:

[elegantlion]

I'm just overdosing on character developing opportunities at the moment.

 

...and I look forward to reading the story about the absent minded scoutmaster who tries to lead. Little does he know that in his troop there is young scout who in his time off from scouting saves the world when necessary.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I know all too well how frustrating scouting can be.

 

It's one of the reasons I am becoming less involved. DS earned his Life Rank this summer and I figured "He's old enough and advanced enough to be able to do this on his own." If there are life threatening situations I will definitely step in but for the most part he needs to learn to speak up and take more responsibility and leadership in his troop.

 

I hope this was a learning experience for leaders and scouts alike. I bet they will be better prepared for the next campout.

[GoVanGogh]

I have nothing to add re: Scouts, but so wanted to say that I am stealing your last line:

 

Darn you people, I really don't need more annoying characters for my book. I'm surrounded by enough already.

:lol:

 

It perfectly describes my feelings about a certain situation I am in right now! :glare: So - Thank you very, very much for a much needed giggle this morning!!

[Sebastian (a lady)]

...and I look forward to reading the story about the absent minded scoutmaster who tries to lead. Little does he know that in his troop there is young scout who in his time off from scouting saves the world when necessary.

 

Said young scout is farther along in his book than I am in mine. HIS story is about the Santa so the SM may end up with a big lump of coal in his stocking.