Question for Cub Scout parents

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The cub scout program isn't just about earning those belt loops and badges in isolation. While most of the achievements are earned in the den setting, the pack structure is important to the broader principles of the program. The younger boys have opportunities to learn from the older boys, and the older boys have opportunities to develop leadership skills by teaching and helping the younger boys. A den of same-age girls working through belt loop skills on their own doesn't get these opportunities. If you don't understand this community aspect of the BSA program, you don't understand it's principles and goals.

If all you want is for your girl to have an opportunity to make germ molds and learn to use pocket knives, there seem to be plenty of ways you can work those belt loop activities into the girl scout achievement system.

What about a pack with older and younger girls in their own dens, as well?

A girl Webelos den and a boy Webelos den, a girl Wolf den and a boy Wolf den, a girl Tiger den and a boy Tiger den?

I know some larger packs have multiple dens at each grade level.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Absolutely. I have a son and daughter. My daughter is in an active troop and they do a lot, but I am much more impressed with the activities and things they learn at Boy Scouts. I often have to take my son with my husband is out of town and my daughter loves coming to watch. My daughter is continuing with Girl Scouts but I would be happy if she stopped. I find it to be a waste of time.

I'd be interested in an all girls troop following the Boy Scout curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Where did you hear this? I'm the one with the DH who is predicted Girls in Boy Scouts.

Interesting! To your question, yes, I do think girls could benefit from Cub Scouts. I was a Girl Scout, but I think they've lost their way on programming. Boy Scouts is much better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFDpe7GIuEk

[Anonymous]

Also here:

https://www.glaacbsa.org/Scouting_Accessible

[Anonymous]

Actually, I used to wish the cubscouts were more like the girls scouts, who were more laid back, met after school at school and seemed less cultish.

Now I like the cubscouts but how good it is really depends on who is organizing it that year. Why not be a Girl Scout leader and just do more typical boy things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually, I used to wish the cubscouts were more like the girls scouts, who were more laid back, met after school at school and seemed less cultish.

Now I like the cubscouts but how good it is really depends on who is organizing it that year. Why not be a Girl Scout leader and just do more typical boy things.

And this is why it is a terrible idea to incorporate girls into cub scouts. (The bolded part, not the rest)


Cub scouts is an amazing place for young, active boys to learn in a single gender environment from strong older male (boy) role models. It is a place where they can act like boys (wild puppies) without the punishment they get at school where they are expected to behave like the most docile of girls. They run around, jump on each other, wrestle, poke, make fart jokes, etc and still manage to get it together to learn to behave like young men, become positive leaders, and accomplish something along the way.

This program is so strong because it has been carefully crafted over the years to teach boys in a way that works for most boys. The chaos and wildness of boys is okay. The active learning and silliness is not seen as a detriment. All of the behaviors that so many boys get the "red stoplight" at schools is celebrated and worked through in the single gender environment of Cub Scouts.

One of our county parks often has cub scout activities and camp outs in the same area as girl scout camps and activities. When you see the groups side by side, the differences are stark. The girl scouts are orderly and well behaved. They hike in lines, holding hands with their partners or at least in an orderly grouping, more or less doing what they are supposed tp be doing. The cub scouts of the same age are all over the place, noisy, wrestling, running around, literally like herding cats. The boys are engaged in very chaotic and active learning, and that is great. But it would not longer be like that if the Cub Scouts were coed. That type of learning would be branded as too wild, too noisy, disruptive and distracting, just like in school, and so many boys would lose this place to learn in a way that is best for them.

The moms involved in scouting get this for the most part, but opening scouts to girls at large will change all that is good about Boy scouts for boys. Some girls will see the value of how boy scouts is run, but a lot, if not most of them will not. They will push and change, and soon many if not of the things that make Boy Souts a good place for boys to learn and grow into men will be changed and stripped away until it is not the same organization and no longer gives the same benefits to boys.

If you want what boy scouts has for girls, then fix Girl Scouts. Make it better and stronger. Try to mirror the things you like about boy scouts and put a girl scout spin on it. But don't try to open Boy Scouts to girls. That is a horrible idea.

[Anonymous]

^^^ We as a society ALL benefit when we create strong, honorable young men.

There are fewer and fewr places in society that do this successfully and consistently. Scouts is one of these places. It needs to be kept intact, as a place for young boys to become young men.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
If you want what boy scouts has for girls, then fix Girl Scouts. Make it better and stronger. Try to mirror the things you like about boy scouts and put a girl scout spin on it. But don't try to open Boy Scouts to girls. That is a horrible idea.

How about if Cub Scouts for boys were in one place, and Cub Scouts for girls were in a different place? So the boys could be wild puppies in their location and the girls could be well behaved (LOL not my Girl Scouts at that age! But maybe some) in s different location.

Do you think the girls would be attracted to the Cub Scout program and activities? To the Pack system seeing the older girls?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^ We as a society ALL benefit when we create strong, honorable young men.

There are fewer and fewr places in society that do this successfully and consistently. Scouts is one of these places. It needs to be kept intact, as a place for young boys to become young men.

Strong honorable men don't discriminate based on religion.

Until Boy Scouts accepts all boys, it's not an organization I'd choose for any child of mine.

[Anonymous]

I'm a PP who wrote yes but am changing my mind after reading 2:35. Girl Scouts needs to be fixed or it is not s good fit for my daughter. That poster wrote a perfect description of cub scouts. When they were young they would run wild at the start of every meeting. My daughter's Daisy troop would sit quietly and do activities. Sure, she would rather be running but she was able to sit and focus for an hour. The wild puppy description was perfect for the boys. I'd rather see my daughter running around and participating in Boy Scout activities with other like minded girls but not all feel this way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^ We as a society ALL benefit when we create strong, honorable young men.

There are fewer and fewr places in society that do this successfully and consistently. Scouts is one of these places. It needs to be kept intact, as a place for young boys to become young men.

Strong honorable men don't discriminate based on religion.

Until Boy Scouts accepts all boys, it's not an organization I'd choose for any child of mine.

Um...ou can be any religion and be a scout.. nice try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^ We as a society ALL benefit when we create strong, honorable young men.

There are fewer and fewr places in society that do this successfully and consistently. Scouts is one of these places. It needs to be kept intact, as a place for young boys to become young men.

Strong honorable men don't discriminate based on religion.

Until Boy Scouts accepts all boys, it's not an organization I'd choose for any child of mine.

BSA accepts boys of all faiths. To be a Cub or Boy Scout you need to recite the Scout Oath which is ‘‘On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law.’ Duty to God is not defined by BSA but is decided upon by the family or place of worship chosen by the Scout.

Boys and their families may determine what it means to do your duty to God (or a Higher Power). My son when he was a Boy Scout decided he was a Deist and the higher power he believed in was Science.

If you are an avowed atheist and refuse to recite or agree to the Scout Oath, you cannot be a Boy Scout.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a PP who wrote yes but am changing my mind after reading 2:35. Girl Scouts needs to be fixed or it is not s good fit for my daughter. That poster wrote a perfect description of cub scouts. When they were young they would run wild at the start of every meeting. My daughter's Daisy troop would sit quietly and do activities. Sure, she would rather be running but she was able to sit and focus for an hour. The wild puppy description was perfect for the boys. I'd rather see my daughter running around and participating in Boy Scout activities with other like minded girls but not all feel this way.

PP, what kind of program would be better for your daughter's Daisy experience?

What would allow them to have the running like wild puppy experience that you felt she needed?

Do you think it was the Tiger program? Or the nature of boys being together in a group? Would a bunch of girls in 1st grade run around like puppies, if they were in a Tiger den, or would they need the co-ed aspect of the boys around to have this kind of wild behavior?

Or maybe they need Cubmasters who are men?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a PP who wrote yes but am changing my mind after reading 2:35. Girl Scouts needs to be fixed or it is not s good fit for my daughter. That poster wrote a perfect description of cub scouts. When they were young they would run wild at the start of every meeting. My daughter's Daisy troop would sit quietly and do activities. Sure, she would rather be running but she was able to sit and focus for an hour. The wild puppy description was perfect for the boys. I'd rather see my daughter running around and participating in Boy Scout activities with other like minded girls but not all feel this way.

PP, what kind of program would be better for your daughter's Daisy experience?

What would allow them to have the running like wild puppy experience that you felt she needed?

Do you think it was the Tiger program? Or the nature of boys being together in a group? Would a bunch of girls in 1st grade run around like puppies, if they were in a Tiger den, or would they need the co-ed aspect of the boys around to have this kind of wild behavior?

Or maybe they need Cubmasters who are men?

None of that. My daughter did crafts and went on a couple of field trips with the parents to a play and a nature walk. My son went fishing, worked with wood and tools, did more survival type activities and had field trips to places like battle fields and the police station. I was just saying DD would have enjoyed the boy's activities more so maybe Girl Scouts, or her troop, isn't a good fit.

[Anonymous]

The girl who is trying to make scouts coed wants to be an Eagle Scout.

Why don't the Girl Scouts work to create a similarly rigorous and comprehensive elite scouting achievement like Eagle that the girls start working towards as Junior scouts?

If they have one they do not publicize or promote it very well. I do not remember one when I was a Girl Scout (through 7th grade). The only thing Girl Scouts publicize and promote well is cookies, and perhaps that is where the problem lies.