Does your Boy Scout troop have monthly parent meetings or is this typically a Cub Scout thing?

[6packofun]

Dh and I, frankly, are getting tired of the monthly commitment to go to useless parent meetings that could easily be solved by posting a few things on the FB group or in a newsletter.  But before I continue griping, is a monthly meeting typical for Boy Scouts?  I know it is for Cub Scouts when boys are younger, but I thought that as they get older they don't need parents involved every single month.  Other troops don't seem to do this and we're thinking of asking about it.

 

Also, on a related note, how difficult is it to switch troops if a boy has completed merit badges recently and before he gets too involved on the next ones?  (Or is there something more complicated we should consider?  Distance is becoming an issue for us and we are just thinking it over.  Ds likes the troop but he also HATES change.  lol)

[QueenCat]

We had them about every six weeks. It helped with volunteer planning, as most people ignored pleas for help when it wasn't in person.

[FriedClams]

We have no monthly meeting for parents. The troop committee meets monthly and everyone is invited and encouraged to attend. Every week the scout master sends a email with a recap and activity update/schedule for the next few weeks.

 

Changing troops is not a big deal. I'd have him visit a couple closer and get a feel. Our small town has three troops and they're all VERY different. It's worth the time to see what's going on, how a weekly meeting runs (and who runs it - it should be the boys), see how often they do trips, what's the e average attendance on troops, who (especially leaders and parents) goes on the trips, how often the guys advance, do guys make eagle at a reasonable time/age, how merit badges are handled, etc.

[Guest]

Ours asks parents to come to announcements at the close of the boys' meetings, rather than wait in the car. That makes it easy to volunteer, and any questions can be answered.

[Loowit]

Neither our pack or troop have parents meetings.  In the pack Information is handed out via Parent Updates at the pack meeting each month and via email.  In the troop we make a upcoming events sheet for the scouts to take home and send out email reminders.  We do have monthly committee meetings that parents are encouraged to attend.  This is their time to make suggestions.  We have had very few parents take us up on this. Since we don't see parents at the committee meetings we often discuss which parents may be willing to take on something and then have a leader approach them and ask.  We never pressure a parent to help if they say no, but it may mean we can't do as much if we can't get the help.

 

It isn't hard to switch troops, mostly just paperwork.  You don't have to but I would finish up any merit badges before switching and not start new ones until the transition.

[SparklyUnicorn]

We aren't in scouts.  Everything we have done has had meetings, but never monthly.  That seems excessive and I probably wouldn't commit to something like that to be honest. 

 

 

[theelfqueen]

We have a committee meeting every month and all parents are welcome... but we have parent info meetings only for big events (summer camp, high adventure camp, jamboree something like that)

[6packofun]

We aren't in scouts.  Everything we have done has had meetings, but never monthly.  That seems excessive and I probably wouldn't commit to something like that to be honest. 

 

Yeah, and honestly, ds is disappointed that with only 3 meetings per month he isn't getting enough done.  He wants to DO lots of stuff and accomplish things at meetings, too.  Pair that with the fact that after a camping trip they SKIP the next week's meeting and he feels like he's not getting enough Scouts in his life.  LOL

[mamakelly]

We have a monthly parent committee meeting. Most of our scout parents do not attend.

[mom2scouts]

A monthly troop committee meeting is normal. Parents who aren't part of the committee are welcome, but not required, to attend. We get most of our information by email, FB, and newsletter.

[DawnM]

Once a YEAR parent meetings in our former troop.

 

We just switched troops and my son hadn't finished all his merit badges.  I still haven't heard when I can get the blue cards for that so he can finish them in the new troop.

 

 

[mamakelly]

Yes! The troop should not hold his blue cards, he should keep his own, until he's ready to turn a completed card in.

[TravelingChris]

I believe my son kept his blue cards too.

 

[MarinesWife]

We have PLC and committee meetings at the same time every other month. That seems to work better than we were doing every month.

[ScoutTN]

AHG and Cub Scouts here.

One parent meeting a year at the beginning of the year. Everything else is by Troop Track or FB.

Edited July 27, 2016 by ScoutTN

[8circles]

Yes, we meet monthly. Being boy-led doesn't mean the adults do nothing.

[8circles]

I think it's even harder for the adults with boy-led. They have to know when to step in, and they have to let the boys flounder a bit. But, it's not Cub Scouts. Boy Scouts learn by doing.

I agree. They can't step in when necessary if they don't know what's going on.

[6packofun]

Is a parent meeting the same as a "committee meeting"?  Considering what we actually accomplish, I'm wondering...  I didn't put my son in Scouts so that *I* could have a monthly social obligation, I hate to say.  This month's meeting we did discuss events on the calendar all through November for part of the time.  Then, we were told that next month's meeting is the "parent calendar planning meeting" so I guess that's to plan out even further?  I still just don't get how this troop works. lol

 

*Edited to add that after looking at the Troop Committee Guidebook link given above, I'm not sure there ARE any official positions in this troop or even enough adults who can fill all of those unless every single parent takes on a job.

Edited July 27, 2016 by 6packofun

[dirty ethel rackham]

In Boy Scouts, we had monthly committee meetings where parents were welcome.  They also did announcements at the end of the meeting and parents were encouraged to come in at the end of the meeting to hear the announcements.  This was before fb and other technology became so widespread.  We also had a requirement that every scout had to have a parent take a volunteer job within the troop.  Some were as simple as serving refreshments at the quarterly Court of Honor.  Some were as complicated as Fund Raising Chair.  The scout could have another adult besides a parent (aunt, uncle, older sibling, etc.) to be their adult volunteer.

[8circles]

Is a parent meeting the same as a "committee meeting"?  Considering what we actually accomplish, I'm wondering...  I didn't put my son in Scouts so that *I* could have a monthly social obligation, I hate to say.  This month's meeting we did discuss events on the calendar all through November for part of the time.  Then, we were told that next month's meeting is the "parent calendar planning meeting" so I guess that's to plan out even further?  I still just don't get how this troop works. lol

 

*Edited to add that after looking at the Troop Committee Guidebook link given above, I'm not sure there ARE any official positions in this troop or even enough adults who can fill all of those unless every single parent takes on a job.

 

We have a "commitee meeting".  There is no "parent meeting".  Parents are welcome at the commitee meeting but it isn't a "social obligation".  If there is parent-type meeting needed it is done during a regular scout meeting, in another room.

 

The main purpose of these meetings, for our group (my DH actually goes & then fills me in, so I'm not the one there) is not calendar planning.  We have recently had issues regarding our chartering organization, some behavior issues within the group including by an SPL.  There have also been efforts to improve the transition from cubscouts to Boyscouts & other organizational-type issues.  I think that if you aren't interested in participating in this aspect of the group, you just shouldn't go to the meeting.  I don't know what the actual BSA rules/guidelines are about this meeting but I know that some kids have parents who don't participate at all.

[poppy]

Not the same thing but I am going into year 4 of being a Girl Scout troop leader and we have never, ever had a parent meeting. Not once.  We communicate by email.  Parents pass in checks and required forms as they drop kids off.