Is cub/Boy Scouts considered dorky?

[Anonymous]

What do you or your son think?

[Anonymous]

Are you 12?

[Anonymous]

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Dorky.

[Anonymous]

I think so - but perfect for my unathletic, uncoordinated kid. He doesn't have the attention/focus to follow along in individual or team sports, so I am hoping he finds an interest in the scouting activities.

[Anonymous]

My 7 year old loves it. Then again, he just completed his first back packing trip with his parents and is predisposed to enjoy the outdoors. He likes the socializing with kids. He likes the camp outs, rocket launches, pinewood derby, rain gutter regatta. He likes the canoeing trips and fishing derbies.

There are over 60 kids in his Pack, most from the same elementary school, and that represents Kindergarten through fifth grade.

[Anonymous]

Not so much in elementary school but some boys think it is as they get older.

[Anonymous]

Why does it matter?

[Anonymous]

Dorks are cool.

[Anonymous]

Less so for Cub Scouts (elementary). They get to do cool things like go camping, pinewood derby, and use pocketknives. It starts getting a bit of a dorky rep in middle/high school. Not so much the activities, but the cultish image with uniforms, group chants, special handshake, and wholesome image. My boys still love it, but there is a definite trend between 6th and 8th grades with the "cool" kids dropping out.

[Anonymous]

My DS really liked Cub Scouts but didn’t like Boy Scouts and stopped going after a few months. By middle school, scouting seems to lose it’s appeal - for both boys and girls. My DD is wrestling with whether to continue with Girl Scouts next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 7 year old loves it. Then again, he just completed his first back packing trip with his parents and is predisposed to enjoy the outdoors. He likes the socializing with kids. He likes the camp outs, rocket launches, pinewood derby, rain gutter regatta. He likes the canoeing trips and fishing derbies.

There are over 60 kids in his Pack, most from the same elementary school, and that represents Kindergarten through fifth grade.

This. My kid loves scouts. There aren't a lot in his school, but everytime he mentions the activities to other boys, they seem to think it's cool.

[Anonymous]

Older kids might enjoy Venture Scouts or Sea Scouts more then a Scout Troop. Venture Scouts do more "extreme" trips and the like and is co-ed. Scout Troops are still gender specific and the plan is to keep them that way. So there are Female Troops and Male Troops. They might do activities together but they are separate Troops and Patrols.

[Anonymous]

Dorky is good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Older kids might enjoy Venture Scouts or Sea Scouts more then a Scout Troop. Venture Scouts do more "extreme" trips and the like and is co-ed. Scout Troops are still gender specific and the plan is to keep them that way. So there are Female Troops and Male Troops. They might do activities together but they are separate Troops and Patrols.

not anymore. my kid's boy scout troop has "family scouting." there are girls in his troop. when my daughter gets older, we'll probably just sign her up for family scouting. it's easier for us logistically and honestly, the activities the boy scouts do are often more interesting that the girl scout activities (the stupid cookie selling and family budgeting unit at least.)