Cub scout Moms ??

[Moxie]

I'm the Wolf den leader. We have recently had a Boy Scout volunteer to be a Den Chief (I think that is what it is called). He is really enthusiastic and wants to help out at all of the meetings. We only have 3 Wolfs and one of them isn't there very much. What do I have a Den Chief do??

 

What do you do about boys that miss most of the meetings. We have one boy that has missed about two-thirds of the meetings due to sports (and yet the Dad rechartered him for next year, hello??, YOU ARE TOO BUSY!!!). At each meeting we get an achievement done so this boy only has about one-third of his achievements done. How do you deal with that?

 

Thanks!

[lionfamily1999]

I have the same problems, Wolf leader too :). My Pack leaders explained it to me like this:

The Cub Scout Program is designed to introduce kids to the world of scouting. The boys aren't pushed too hard, because the motto is 'Try your Best' and the goal is to make scouting, above all else, fun.

 

IOW, it's lazy because the kids are too young to really understand what a commitment means, their responsibility to the den/pack, and to take control of their situation (getting there on time, every time, etc). For now, we're just supposed to make it the best we can and ignore all the little issues, with the hopes that once they make Boy Scouts it will be with boys equally engaged in Scouting.

 

That doesn't help much does it? Well, I have the same issues, so, you're not alone :)

[KristenS]

I'm not a leader, but I've had some of the same frustrations with our Tiger den... I wonder why some of these families even signed up in the first place. On the other hand, since I know several of them haven't even bothered to skim the manual, they probably just don't get that the kids don't earn the rank if they don't do the achievements. Sigh.

[Laura K (NC)]

I "graduated" a group of boys last year. I think it's normal for there to be a sort of bell curve of interest. I tried to get as much done in the meeting on the requirements that they boys *had* to have, and then encouraged the parents as much as possible via frequent emails and phone calls to keep at it between meetings.

 

Sometimes the boys have almost superhuman obstacles to overcome. One boy was dealing with huge troubles between his mom and dad one year. This past year another boy lost both his dad (suicide) and his grandpa. Other boys have a real talent for sports or other activities that constantly compete with scouts for time. I learned that boys can do scouts in degrees.

 

I was pretty strict with my boys that they actually earned the awards they got. That was a problem that I had to enforce with the parents. In fact, one dad, who was my assistant den leader and who has since crossed over into boy scouting himself, routinely goes to the scout store and buys awards he hasn't earned and puts the patches (knots) on his uniform.:glare: But with that, if a child has done his best with an activity and honestly tried to fulfill the spirit of the award, I gave him credit. Of course, that means actually showing up, though.

 

The proof came out at the Arrow of Light Ceremony. From the very beginning of the program, I showed my then Tiger Cubs the arrow they would earn if they stuck with it. When our boys cross over into Boy Scouts, they get an arrow, and the dads build a shadow box for it. The arrow has bars painted on it that show each rank that was earned, and the arrow points they earned at each rank. The more active the boy, the more bars on his arrow. I brought the arrow back in at the beginning of each year to remind them to "do their best" and to give them a goal to shoot for.

 

If the boys are unmotivated in cub scouts, they simply won't succeed in boy scouts. In cub scouts the parents and leader are responsible for a lot of the motivation. In boy scouts, the scout himself has to show himself a leader. It's no crime if a boy drops out, imo. It is a crime, though, if he stays buoyed up by his parents all the way through, sliding through requirements that he hasn't earned, and making a sham out of a great program that works if it's done correctly.

 

A den chief can be a lot of help. There is a den chief manual that you might want to get so you understand what they can do. The den chiefs are still boys who need to be trained how to lead, so I'm not sure den chiefs help lighten the load except if you get a really spectacular one. I didn't use den chiefs, but occasionally I did have boys from the troop come and demonstrate some skill (knots, for example, or building a fire). This is especially helpful once the den becomes webelos.

 

It isn't possible to communicate too much with the parents of your boys. Sometimes parents need to be taught why the program is important, and what they need to be doing to make it better. There are some things in each rank that simply can't be done in a den meeting. Make lists of these. Make a chart of what each boy has achieved, and remind the parents of the kids progress (or lack of progress). You might have to send an email out every single week. Offer to come in early to a meeting, or stay late, so that a kid can make up work if they've been out because of illness, homework, sports, (or apathy!). I was so glad to cross over my Webelos and get out of scouting, because it was exhausting, but it was such a great program, and I don't regret any of it.

[Peek a Boo]

Wolf Den Leader too :)

 

My oldest was acting as Den Chief for a while, then my 11yo. With only two Scouts [and another one that --like you have-- hasn't shown up], there's little they CAN do. But with only two, that makes it easier to communicate intentions :D

 

I have my Den Chief lead the boys thru the Bobcat stuff at the beginning of each meeting [promise/ oath/ etc]. I also include them in planning for the meeting: it is their job to make sure the materials get into the car and set up at the meeting. Den Chief also supervises clean up and takes the boys out to the playground/ play games while I talk w/ the other mom about Scout stuff. Or just chit chat ;)

 

and Missing Boy won't get his Wolf patch --simple as that. He can sign up next year and earn his Bear if he wants to to try, and i would encourage the try. The good news is that Cub Scouts isn't dependent on previous ranks ['cept Bobcat] like Boy Scouts is.

 

If I KNEW a leader/ scout was NOT earning the awards, i would report it to Council and let them know about my concerns. If they are really interested, they can check it out in a round-about way. Otherwise, it's not MY awards to give out, kwim?

[Sebastian (a lady)]

One thing you can have your den chief do is work on a skit, song or small activity while you talk with parents. Limit this to ten minutes or so in order to keep things at the meeting on track. But do explain to the parent what the scout needs to do before the next meeting. You might also use this time have him do a uniform preinspection or a book inspection (everyone is bringing their books, right?). Or you can quickly check the books for new things that the boys have accomplished while the den chief does something with the boys. But in the beginning, keep the den chief time limited so that he doesn't end up underwater.

 

The most annoying conversations I've ever had in scouting were with parents who didn't understand that the reason their son hadn't received some award was because they hadn't done the requirements for the award. Sometimes you really do need to be very specific. Are you using the Trax program? I used to give out a copy of the individual sheet each meeting (or at least every other meeting). You can highlight areas that your absent scout needs to work on and give that to the parent. Mention that if he doesn't earn every rank, you'd still love to have him in scouting next year. But that he will have to understand that other scouts will be receiving awards that he hasn't earned.

 

And when it comes down to it, doing your best does in fact require at least attempting the activity. Non participation doesn't warrant receiving ranks and other awards.