When does Scouts get considered as too nerdy by boys?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:YOU are the troublesome one, OP, if you are concerned with the "nerdy" label.

Please get your head on straight.

+1 although I’m honestly glad for the parents who were quick to pull their sons out before they thought it would be nerdy, because their kids were jerks. The long-haulers are a really nice group of boys.

[Anonymous]

My kid is16 and in Boy Scouts. IME the boys who dropped it as too nerdy in ES are guys who are kind of jerks. They are the ones that drink a lot in HS and are the boy equivalent of mean girls. There’s lots of not nerdy boys still in the troop including boys who are varsity athletes, boys who are into film, boys who play guitar in rock bands, boys with girlfriends , etc. But they are all boys who mostly are not worried about categorizing boys into cool or not cool buckets. If a kid is really worried about those categories, scouts is not going to be a good fit because it is by definition inclusive of everyone, including the nerds.

PS in today’s HS world, there is such a thing as cool nerds. Being yourself and not giving a F about what other people thing is much more respected than it was back in the 80s/.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP is stuck in the 80s or 90s when kids were looked down on for being in Girl and Boy Scouts. Now, people know better. Both organizations provide a lot of opportunities for their members and can even give them an edge in college admissions.

I don't think that the OP is wrong per se and I'm a scout parent. There are lots of neurodivergent kids in scouts and my child is medically disabled. We have a scout troop in our town that intentionally discriminated against the special needs kids which means there is a higher concentration in our troop. I love that it teaches my teenager to be inclusive. The neurdivergent kids are a part of our clan vs separate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a boy who I think will be a Tiger? or Wolf? Scout this year. If I recall we have several years before kids start peeling off to pursue sports and other activities and start thinking Scouts is for nerds. What grade does this usually happen? Generally when do boys start worrying about what is cool or what's not? I've seen this already starting to happen with 2nd grade girls, but the boys seem like they are still happily pretty clueless innocents.

My son went through scouts and did sports. Nobody cared what activities he was in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe you need to get to know Scouting better. It is a deep program with a ton of opportunities outside of MBs. The goal of Scouts is not to earn Eagle, the goal is to get Scouts to First Class and learn some skills. While Eagle is more common in this area, nationwide only 6% of kids earn Eagle.

There are tons of Troops and Packs in this area. There are Troops that we jokingly call the ROTC Troops, straight line, marching in and out of camp, lots of older Scouts, very jack like appearance. Normally the SM is someone who has military experience, those Troops are not “nerdy.” It can be harder to earn Eagle because it does seem like all the leaders in the Troops are older, which means that it is going to take a while to complete the leadership requirements for rank. That isn’t a bad thing, but it is different.

There are Troops that are full on nerdy, the Scouts are less interested in the high adventure aspects of Scouts or even the camping. They will struggle to get in their 20 nights of camping and the activities needed for the Camping MB, which is Eagle required. Troop leadership can be younger because many times the Scouts are focused on earning Eagle. The vibe is different but it is still fun because it is meeting that group of kids needs.

And then there are Troops that are in between. My kids Troop has been to Sea Base and is going to Philmont and pretty much all of them play D&D. The backpacking conversation ends up being around D&D rules discussions or monsters or character building but they are carrying 30 pound packs for 7 miles and enjoying themselves. The Scouts are involved in sports at the rec level or at their HS. We have kids earning Eagle at 14 and kids earning Eagle at 18. Kids can choose to get involved with more of the high adventure or they can do the regular camping and know that they will get the nights and activities needed for the camping MB.

Just let your kid have fun as a Cub Scout. If he is interested in bridging over, visit a bunch of Troops and see what one feels like a good fit for him. Scouts has been amazing for a lot of kids, even kids who don’t complete Eagle. It is an activity that combines learning and growth and socialization skills. Kids make friends that are into different things while learning to lead.

My experience is very similar. My sons are both Eagle Scouts. My older son also competed in wrestling and tennis, and is now a freshman in college. He’s been dating the same girl for the last 2 1/2 years. He has a core group of friends. He wasn’t on homecoming court, but he wasn’t a “nerd” either. His Eagle Scout project was on the cover of a local magazine for its impact on helping wildlife.
My younger son is in 10th grade. He is on the Swim Team and tennis team. He made varsity on Swim Team last year. He takes all honors or AP classes. He was a lifeguard over the summer at a country club. His troop is going to St. Thomas next summer. He’s also into Dungeons & Dragons and magic the gathering. He would probably be considered a nerd in your book, but he has a large group of friends, they are over at our house almost every single weekend.

[Anonymous]

The crazy thing about OP is that she's not talking about HS etc like some PPs. She's saying Tiger which is 1st grade and Wolf which is 2nd. So this is a young kid and her focus is already on avoiding any semblance of "nerdy."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The crazy thing about OP is that she's not talking about HS etc like some PPs. She's saying Tiger which is 1st grade and Wolf which is 2nd. So this is a young kid and her focus is already on avoiding any semblance of "nerdy."

Agreed, which is really sad. Scouts can be amazing but it isn’t for everyone. A decent number of kids who start in a Pack will move to a Troop. So many wonderful opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The crazy thing about OP is that she's not talking about HS etc like some PPs. She's saying Tiger which is 1st grade and Wolf which is 2nd. So this is a young kid and her focus is already on avoiding any semblance of "nerdy."

I worry about her kid if he does end up preferring "nerdy" activities. How will OP accept that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If he’s enjoying scouts, let him continue. If he wants to spend more time with sports and his interest in scouts wanes- let him drop scouts and pursue sports.

This, we simply didn't have the time. I didn't care about nerdy.

[Anonymous]

Others don't think Scouts is for Nerds, they think Scouts is for Losers. I don't but just saying. Dressing-up in a uniform, and being told who's going to be your friend, it runs counter to teen individuality and independence. Not saying there aren't many good things about Scouts. But know the reason. As long as your teen continues to want to participate, great!

[Anonymous]

Two Eagle Scouts and both were Varsity sports in HS. They both lived the outdoor aspect of scouting. A lot of smart, solid kids continue. I would strongly suggest you teach DC to stand strong for what they want to do and not stop scouting b/c you think they will be negatively labeled. This will be more important as they move thru HS and college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Others don't think Scouts is for Nerds, they think Scouts is for Losers. I don't but just saying. Dressing-up in a uniform, and being told who's going to be your friend, it runs counter to teen individuality and independence. Not saying there aren't many good things about Scouts. But know the reason. As long as your teen continues to want to participate, great!

Sounds like a fraternity, which we're told is for the most socially successful boys.

[Anonymous]

Most drop out when they discover girls. Or weed.

[Anonymous]

There’s a natural off-ramp at the Cub Scout/BSA transition. About half our den broke away at that point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most drop out when they discover girls. Or weed.

There is truth in this. If you want your son to make Eagle, you push him to get there before he discovers the “Three Gs”.