Is Boy Scouts a thing now? DS wants to get into it, but I have some concerns.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP you are a total "dork" who is vying for Ass**le of the Month.

Glad I wasn't the only one thinking this.

me too, if this is not a troll, OP is the asshole of the month.

[Anonymous]

Go ahead with scouts, but be involved too. It's good for the college resume and they will make friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 12 year old wants to join a Boy Scout group that one of his friends from school is part of. They go camping and do stuff like that, have weekly meetings, and they wear uniforms. I guess it seems pretty benign, but I've got some concerns, and before I let him participate, I need to know some things.

Are Boy Scouts still considered dorky? Because I don't want him being teased. When I was his age, I remember Boy Scouts being the weirdest kids with no friends, and we used to tease them a ton. I don't want him dealing with that.

As a parent, am I expected to go on these camping trips? Because the idea of sleeping outside with bugs just makes me shiver. I could never do this, and I don't want him getting into it if it means I have to camp. My idea of camping is a 3-star.

I'm concerned about him picking up bad habits or offensive ideas/language from other boys who aren't being raised by parents who make efforts to make sure they are sensitive and respectful of others.

How much does this cost? Uniform, other stuff for camping, etc?

Is there any type of religious indoctrination involved? We don't attend church, but scout team meets at a church.

Lastly, I don't want to be put in a position one day where he thinks he's more "manly" than me because he got introduced to things (like camping) or archery or shooting guns, which are things we don't do or would never allow in our household.


Thanks to any who can provide details.

My 9 year old really wanted to join, my husband was against it because of the same stigma you mention. I took my son to a meeting anyway because he wanted to join so badly and I didn't grow up here so no stigma for me. Brutal honesty? At least our local group wasn't a cool kid hangout, which is fine. But he leader seemed off to me, I don't know, but my instincts said no. Obviously that is the group closest to us, so I recommend you go to yours and make up your own mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hypocrite of the year award ... I don't want him hanging around with kids that weren't raised to be sensitive to others but also don't want him hanging around with a bunch of dorks.

This.

[Anonymous]

Were you a middle school bully?

[Anonymous]

The kids that I see that stick with scouts through school (to eagle scout) are all good kids with their head screwed on the right way. These are kids that are polite and have inclusive viewpoints.

The troops where I am are fairly liberal.

The issue scouts had in the past was equating gay with pedophile. The anti-gay aspect was nominally (and mistakenly) to protect the kids.

Hint: Joe Biden: former Boyscout
Donald Trump: Not a boy scout

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go ahead with scouts, but be involved too. It's good for the college resume and they will make friends.

Colleges especially like to see Eagle Scout because that denotes an ability to make a plan and stick with it. Scouting is also about leadership. DS got into every college and University he applied to, as did his best friend, also an Eagle.

[Anonymous]

Scouts is a pretty inclusive organization these days. It attracts a fair number of kids whose parents are looking for places for their kid to participate in something.

That is a good thing. My two youngest (18 year old Eagle Scout and 15 year old Life Scout working on his Eagle) have learned quite a bit from scouting. They would not otherwise spend time with more introverted kids and have found those guys to be okay. Scouts is very good a building leadership and communication skills. That's what I have been most impressed by. Yes they learn some outdoorsmanship skills and other practical things but the leadership and communication stuff really has been helpful for my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The irony of your fourth paragraph says it all.

+10000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 12 year old wants to join a Boy Scout group that one of his friends from school is part of. They go camping and do stuff like that, have weekly meetings, and they wear uniforms. I guess it seems pretty benign, but I've got some concerns, and before I let him participate, I need to know some things.

Are Boy Scouts still considered dorky? Because I don't want him being teased. When I was his age, I remember Boy Scouts being the weirdest kids with no friends, and we used to tease them a ton. I don't want him dealing with that.

As a parent, am I expected to go on these camping trips? Because the idea of sleeping outside with bugs just makes me shiver. I could never do this, and I don't want him getting into it if it means I have to camp. My idea of camping is a 3-star.

I'm concerned about him picking up bad habits or offensive ideas/language from other boys who aren't being raised by parents who make efforts to make sure they are sensitive and respectful of others.

How much does this cost? Uniform, other stuff for camping, etc?

Is there any type of religious indoctrination involved? We don't attend church, but scout team meets at a church.

Lastly, I don't want to be put in a position one day where he thinks he's more "manly" than me because he got introduced to things (like camping) or archery or shooting guns, which are things we don't do or would never allow in our household.


Thanks to any who can provide details.

My 9 year old really wanted to join, my husband was against it because of the same stigma you mention. I took my son to a meeting anyway because he wanted to join so badly and I didn't grow up here so no stigma for me. Brutal honesty? At least our local group wasn't a cool kid hangout, which is fine. But he leader seemed off to me, I don't know, but my instincts said no. Obviously that is the group closest to us, so I recommend you go to yours and make up your own mind.

First. Boy Scouts starts at 12 not 9. Maybe you were at a Cub Scout meeting?

depending on where you are living there may be multiple troops within a short drive. We switched troops to one that seemed more comfortable for us. It's no problem.

[Anonymous]

My son started as a Cub Scout in third grade and is now in 9th grade about to finish up his Star rank. The opportunities he has had in Scouts have been outstanding; we've all gotten to do a lot of cool things through Scouts. Our troop has some "cool kids" and some military sons, some nerds and just regular kids.

Cub Scouts is very parent active; in Boy Scouts they go camping without parents. There's a lot of training in Boy Scouts to keep the kids safe. No kid is ever alone with an adult who is not their parent, and the leaders pitch their tents in a separate area. The Scoutmaster oversees the trips. but the older boys run it and teach the older boys.

It's not cool, unfortunately, to be a Boy Scout. But it's VERY cool in our area to be an Eagle Scout in high school.

[Anonymous]

In my experience, Cub Scouts is a lot more hands on for the parents than Boy Scouts is. By the time the kids are in Boy Scouts, the older boys are planning/leading activities and the adult leaders are there mostly for supervising purposes. During Cub Scouts, parents would accompany their kids on camp outs, hikes, etc. In Boy Scouts, the boys typically go on camp outs/hikes with a few leaders. The boys get the opportunity to learn new skills and badges and the older boys get the opportunity to assume leadership roles, earn badges and show the younger kids the ropes - like how to plan/prepare dinner on a campfire or camp stove. At least that is how it all worked when my kids were involved in scouting.

If your son is interested in joining, you should attend a meeting with him and get more information.

[Anonymous]

"Is Boy Scouts a thing now?"

It has been "a thing" for 117 years, dumbass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The bolded is the opposite of scouts. Scouts are trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. The badges and rank advancements teach life skills, leadership skills and character. There is quite a bit of parental involvement.

There are more liberal/secular troops and there are religious troops.

Scout groups are made up of tween/teen boys, who can be jerks. A dad overheard some boys using the word "gay" to describe something that was not good, as in "that's so gay". The good thing was though that the scout master took them to task over it.

If OP is not a troll, then I would tell OP that a real Scout is the opposite of a dork - they learn to build a fire; how to handle a knife, camp, hike, swim, do adventurous things. My son is a bit of a geek, and I am so glad he does the Scouts because it's toughened him up a bit. When they go camping, the boys do all the work - setup camp, take down, cook (for themselves), etc... (all with supervision, of course). The adults do not much except take care of themselves. Adults are just there to make sure boys are safe and for transportation. The boys are supposed to lead the group, so it's also helping them develop leadership skills.

Camping - no, you don't have to go camping. But, it depends on your troop. There is a ratio of boys to adults, so if your troop doesn't have enough volunteers, and you don't step up, then no camping trip.

If your son wants to do it, I think you should let him. Some troops are mostly secular. We have a lot of Jewish boys in our troop, so it's not a "Christian" group.

[Anonymous]

It will really depend on the group, OP.
Can you try to feel things out with the group leader before you enroll him?