Just For Fun, Boy Scouts

[Ham]

I enjoyed Boy Scouts. Troop 25 in Baker, Louisiana. We were a smallish Troop, but three of us made it to Eagle. We had good Dads that spent time with us. We did some camp outs and stuff. Scout camp was an annual event.

BUT I would have hunted, fished, and camped with my father and friends anyway. I started fishing before I was five.

I tried to get my son involved in scouting, but he wasn't interested and I wasn't going to force him to do it. I did help fund raise for the them for a few years.

[rainbow]

Never was a scout but my brother was a cub scout. My best friends dad took me hunting, fishing and camping all the time and taught us all about the outdoors. Had friends in scouts that wanted me to join but it did not seem as much fun as what we did with my buddyi's dad. I wouldn't trade those days for anything. None of the men, dad included, did not hunt and fish so I was lucky to get the exposure I did.

[Mitch f]

My brother and I were cub scouts and then Webelos. We were never Boy Scouts. The scouts in Florissant MO would meet at Sunset park and shoot arrows, that was about the extent of the outdoor activities.

[Terrierman]

I grew up in Nevada in the '60's. The Boy Scouts were very active then, I think there were four or maybe five troops in town. Lots of camping trips, and lots of other activities too. Went on my first night hunt with Boy Scouts, caught my first bass on a lure I had made myself, also learned to play poker. The troops were pretty competitive with each other which only added fun. Summer Camp at Frank Childress near Joplin was a deal too. Canoeing, swimming, target shooting. Scouting was a big influence on my life, and a positive one. I made it through Life scout and then actually moved on to Explorers, which was also good until it finally fell apart due to the leader moving away. We had good leaders and I'm grateful for what they gave to me and my friends. Wish I'd have had the chance to do Philmont.

[MoSportsmen]

The town I live in seems to have a great group and do a lot of cool things. Growing up I felt like I was learning more and learning it the way I wanted to on my own so I gave it up before webelo. My best friend earned his eagle.....I am a far more adept oudoorsman than he is. I think a dad could do better for his son and his son's friends than the BSA.

[ness]

The town I live in seems to have a great group and do a lot of cool things. Growing up I felt like I was learning more and learning it the way I wanted to on my own so I gave it up before webelo. My best friend earned his eagle.....I am a far more adept oudoorsman than he is. I think a dad could do better for his son and his son's friends than the BSA.

I hear what you're saying, but the right Scoutmaster could do better for boys with the wrong fathers. There's no right answer -- each kid and each Troop should be looked at individually.

When I was a kid my Cub Scout den wasn't the greatest, and I quit after Webelos. My brother went on to Scouts and thrived. Our dad took us hunting, fishing and camping too.

My two sons went through Cubs and a couple years of Scouts. The two experiences were vastly different. The Cub Scout Pack wasn't run very well and there were a lot of disorganized, complaining trouble-maker parents in our Den who wouldn't lift a finger but were full of advice on what to do. One was a drunk, one was crazy, two were serial gossips. The kids were great and had a lot of fun though. When we moved to Scouts the whole dynamic was different and much, much better. Very well-run Troop who did things by the book. Honestly, at first, I thought they were maybe a little too by-the-book, but time proved me wrong on that. There were a number of kids in our Troop who NEVER would have had the outdoor experiences without Scouts. One kid had an absentee father and would have missed out on a lot more than outdoor experiences were it not for the families in our Troop.

It's not for every kid or parent. It's worth checking out, and it's worth shopping around for different groups if you have more than one to choose from.

[Jack Jones]

As an amendment, I'll echo Mitch and state that because I grew up in suburban Connecticut, there weren't too much in the way of "outdoor" activities with our scouts with the exception of maybe some minor hiking and canoeing. I don't recall hearing of any campouts. Certainly, we weren't introduced to bows, guns, or anything violent like that . The scouts up there were more of a public service organization. What I always noticed was that the troops were usually made up of the kids and parents that all went to the same church (where the meetings were usually held). I found it to be rather cliqueish and not so diverse.

Now that my son is 4, I'm debating what activities I'm going to put him in. I know there's plenty of active scout troops in our area, but I'm just not sure I agree with them philisophically anymore .

[fishinwrench]

The local talk radio this morning is making a big deal about some "official decision" being made today regarding allowing gay people in the boy scouts.

The question I have is..... who decides who is "gay" ?

"Are you gay? "

Um, No.

"Ok, you're cleared".

Or how does that work? LOL

[Terrierman]

The local talk radio this morning is making a big deal about some "official decision" being made today regarding allowing gay people in the boy scouts.

The question I have is..... who decides who is "gay" ?

"Are you gay? "

Um, No.

"Ok, you're cleared".

Or how does that work? LOL

It's just too wierd. What's sad is there are churches (at least one in Harrison Arkansas) that are so wound around the axle on the whole thing is they say they'll no longer sponsor cub scouts if that decision goes to allow openly gay people in Boy Scouts. To me, that is really sad. No, pathetic and pathogenic.

[Feathers and Fins]

I was a scout but dropped them because it got in the way of hunting and fishing.