When I learned about the Boy Scouts, I didn’t understand how it would benefit my son as it has. He has learned skills such as leadership, teamwork, and resiliency that he might have learned later on in life, but he has learned early. Joining Boy Scouts when he was in second place was a decision that I am glad that I made.
We were at a Back-to-School Night where the auditorium had various informational booths set up. I was looking at each one to see activities that would benefit my son (he is my firstborn so it was all new to me). When I finally got to the Cub Scouts booth. I read the poster that they had set up and asked questions to the representatives. I thought this would be a good way for him to bond with other boys and learn skills that would help him throughout his life. On top of the fact that my son was my firstborn, he was also a boy, and I barely knew anything about how to raise one. We were a family full of women (just two boy cousins and they were all the way in Panama). Also, in my immediate family, we were three sisters and were with my mother the majority of the time because my dad was in the military and was stationed in different locations while we stayed put. Therefore, in second grade, I registered him with a Cub Scout troop.
My son is 17 years old, and he is still friends with the majority of the boys in that troop. He went camping, learned survival skills, and just had fun with his friends. I didn’t realize until I was told when he was in 5th grade that he would have to look for a Boy Scout troop. I had no idea that the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts were separate in that you do not continue with the same troop. We started going to informational sessions with different Boy Scout troops. All his friends went to a troop that majority of the cub scouts from his elementary school would go to. However, he didn’t like (and I as well) because we did not like the attitude of the Scoutmaster. The day we decided on his boy scout troop, his friend got sick so he couldn’t go with us to see this troop that his father (Cub Scout Leader) recommended. We were reading Boys Life and saw that a Boy Scout in a troop near our house was highlighted so we decided to go that night. He instantly fell in love with the troop and wanted to join. I was happy to know that they were sponsored by the middle school he was going to so that could help him meet boys from the other elementary schools that would be going there.
He was the only Cub Scout from his school to decide to join that troop so I was a bit concerned because it’s easier to remain with the Boy Scouts and make Eagle if you are with your peers. However, now that my son is almost an Eagle Scout (Board of Review in a week!), I know that I had nothing to worry about. I learned everything I could about the Boy Scouts, how to get him to continue being passionate and motivated, and finally how to get him to finish his journey as an Eagle Scout.
I want to share some of the things we have learned while he has been going through the Eagle Scout process to help other parents who have no idea how to start like me. Hope this helps. Please share what you would like to know.
