Boy Scouts - Plano,TX

my family walks its talk.
my older boy was briefly a cub scout before i was paying attention, and aware of the BSA's stance about homosexuality. fortunately he lost interest quickly. but we would have discussed it and explained to him why he couldn't participate any more if he had wanted to continue, once i wised up.
i don't think discrimination is an 'adult topic.'
it matters.
khairete
S.

It's not an "adult" issue it's a civil rights issue. Some of us talk to our kids about this stuff. Some of us oppose bigotry and teach out children to do the same.

As recently as a few months ago they were stripping teens of their honors, kicking them out and denying them Eagle Scout status for coming out. Now it seems they will finally allow gay kids but not leaders.

Why would anyone want to be a part of that? If you are participating, your endorsing discrimination. Try an instrument, theatre or martial arts.

We decided against scouts because we cannot support an organization that prohibits gay parents from being involved - it was a good teaching opportunity to discuss this with my son.. This is not an adult issue - this is a civil rights issue and children learn the values their parents model. My son (just turned 8) loves chess and lego (they are making a top action animation lego film at his afterschool program).

Again-- with Suz T.
No way would I let my son join BSA.
Walkin' the walk....
Family values.....

I love the idea that the anti-gay stuff in BSA is an issue that only adults should be aware of,,,,yeah, cause all the gays folks I know woke up on their 18th birthdays to find, much to their shock and dismay, that they were gay.

My son is gay and let me tell you, all those kids you are trying to protect from adult topics? Yeah, they know all about them and boy are they good at being bullies and bigots. I wonder where they learned it? Oh yeah, great institutions like BSA that perpetuate it. THAT, is why my kids never participated, even before I knew my kids was gay...thank god.

My son just asked last night if he could be in boy scouts. I told him no, and explained why we don't support organizations that discriminate. I then told him I would be happy if he joined girl scouts and hooked me up with some cookies! He laughed. He is 6 and does Lego club, gymnastics, cooking club, science club, and chess. Surprising to me, but chess is his favorite! He also does either basketball or acting on the weekends, depending on the saeson. It sounds like a ton, but the first five are all at his school as part of their after care program :)

ETA: Everyone has their deal-breakers. Banning a group of people for a physical characteristic is one of mine. I wouldn't shop at a store that had a policy of never hiring someone who is black, or Arab, or Hispanic. Sure, I discriminate against that kind of business. "Mr. Jones is a super nice guy, when he isn't running those KKK meetings," wouldn't fly with me either. Some people probably wouldn't choose to associate with me because I am a vegetarian, that's their line in the sand to draw, but I wouldn't expect them to give me money for my organization that only allows vegetarians.

It's me again - could not agree with you more. These are adult topics, and they shouldn't prevent our sons (or daughters) from learning and growing and having a great time in these otherwise wonderful organizations. I was a Girl Scout for 12 years, and it was one of the best things I was ever a part of.

I'm glad Leigh already mentioned this, but the Girls Scouts do not actually have a relationship with Planned Parenthood. So many rumors have surfaced, but this article (while long) does a very nice job of explaining the rumors:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/sexuality/girlscouts.asp

My son is in his first year of Cub Scouts. He's in first grade, so he's a Tiger Scout. This is a parent/child activity. The boys do everything with their "adult partner," so it's been a very busy year for us all. But he enjoys it, and he really likes doing things with his friends.

I completely disagree with the Boy Scout's stance on homosexuals. But that is for adults to deal with. I don't want that to stop by 7 year old son from having this amazing experience. It also won't stop me from voicing my opinion!

We tried the scouts. We did not know much about them when we started and when we found out how they discriminate we did not feel comfortable supporting them any longer, my sons agreed. We found other clubs that fit our beliefs and acceptance and tolerance better.

Friends with sons in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts say their boys like it a lot. Our godson, now in high school, is still very active in scouting and his parents feel it has done a lot to help him focus on achieving goals, and that this focus has benefited him in school and in life!

Be aware that every "den" and troop can be very, very different -- they are run as the leaders see fit, so one troop could be very active; another could do nothing but camp, camp, camp; another might never camp but do a lot of service projects; yet another might not be very active at all; a good troop will have balance....If your son doesn't click with the activities and leaders and boys in one den or troop, he might well click with another!

Regarding Girl Scouts and someone's post about that: This is from the Girl Scout national web site: "Girl Scouts of the USA does not have a relationship or partnership with Planned Parenthood." And, regarding a United Nations conference where GS supposedly handed out some brochure involving Planned Parenthood: "Our participation in that conference was the subject of numerous Internet stories and blogs that were factually inaccurate and troubling. Girl Scouts had no knowledge of the brochure in question and played no role in distributing it." I have been a GS leader for years, and have never, ever seen any reference to Planned Parenthood anywhere, in any form, on any GS materials. There is a lot of fiction on the Internet.

It REALLY depends on the parents, boys and leaders where you live. We did Cub Scouts for four years, when my son was in 2nd through 5th grade, I was even a den leader. It was pretty fun, I felt like we had a good group, and a fun pack with lots of family friendly activities and support. But when it got time to move on to Boy Scouts my son didn't want to do it, and neither did I. The group had a reputation of being disorganized and the leadership was too military like, which really turned my son (and many other boys) off. But like I said, that really varies depending on where you live and who's involved. Check it out, if it's not a good fit he can always try something else.
Also, my son didn't like team sports either but he enjoyed tennis and track, so maybe your son would like something like that, or learning guitar or something?

My son has been in scouts for 3 years. It is VERY family friendly. I'm so sick of hearing about their anti gay stance. That topic should ONLY be for adults. The kids should not be affected by adult issues, let the kids have fun, geesh.

I don't agree with the Girl Scouts support of Planned Parenthood. Their brochures to young girls has Planned Parenthood information on it!!!! talk about a hot topic, but no one will even talk about that. My girls were in Girl Scouts even tho I don't agree with them, my girls don't need to know why!!

Let kids be kids. Try it out, it's a lot of fun

My boys loved it. I highly recommend it.

boy scouts is a good thing. but it all depends on the leaders.. boys are in a "den" with kids from their grade. Then the entire school is a "pack" our den leader is lousy.. he is a quiet sort of guy and he cant lead these rambunctious boys.. the scoutmaster who leads the school is pretty good..

our kids meet once a month with the kids their age.. and once a month with the entire school.. there might be one additional activity per month.. but it is not a huge time commitment.. we did nto sell popcorn as it is crazy expensive..

for us dues were $90 a year.. and the unform was $70 - boys wear the same color shirt for 1st -2nd 3rd.. but get a new hat and bandana. ..

I would try it.. might be great.. you can always go to a meeting and see if you like ti.

My son is 6 and in his first year as a cub scout. I like it a lot, though the time commitment in the beginning was more than I expected. I think things will calm down once we get some of the initial requirements taken care of.

It's important to make sure your den (grade level) and pack (schoolwide) have good leadership. You want things to be organized. You want the leaders to be enthusiastic and engaging, coming up with creative things for the boys to do while they learn new skills.

I would definitely give it a try. It certainly can't hurt, right? He might really enjoy it. It's a great way to get to know other kids his age, to do community service, and to learn new skills.

For the cons, the biggest thing for me is their stance on homosexuality. I chose to join anyway, as so far this is not affecting me personally. However, if the time ever came that someone associated with my den or pack was denied admission, I would absolutely fight for them and would give serious thought to leaving the organization. I don't think I could continue as a scout parent knowing another child had been denied access to the den, or knowing that a dedicated and loving father was denied the chance to lead the kids.

A lot depends on the individual troops in the town, who the leaders are, what projects they engage in, how well organized they are. There are many good projects and tasks, many opportunities, etc.

However, the Boy Scouts have been under a lot of pressure because of their anti-gay stance. They've now (because of intense public pressure and a huge drop in income) softened their stance a little, and allow gay scouts, but they still do not allow gay leaders. So a lot of people are still not supporting them.

You should keep your own values in mind before deciding whether to let him participate. Any scouting organization expects kids to do a fair amount of fundraising in various forms, and it can be increasingly difficult when kids are knocking on doors (our local scout troops sell flowers for mother's day, wreaths at Christmas, etc.), selling tickets to a pancake breakfast or sponsorships. Many people will no longer support them until every boy is allowed to participate and every dedicated leader is allowed to serve. You should be prepared that your son may encounter some push-back in this area, and hear some criticisms (maybe none, maybe a lot) if he participates.

Cub Scouts is a good organization to get involved with if you're not already in a lot of sports or other activities. It can be a big time commitment depending on your den leader. My son is a Wolf (2nd grade) and has a very engaged leader. His son does not do any sports, and scouts are basically their whole lives, therefore he wants our den to participate in every event. The pack has lots of events. My son does do sports, and I have two other kids, so next year will be his last year in scouts.

My son is in cub scouts and we love it. Our den is very active and all our den parents are very active and very involved, at the den level and the pack level.

Any club or organization will have dues and fundraisers. Look at all the sports teams that have to sell things and even have to find sponsors just so their teams can have uniforms. Scout dues and fees are nothing compared to other clubs and organizations our kids are in.

I love how it encourages the boys to learn skills, indoor and outdoor, traditional and contemporary, that they can carry throughout their whole lives. It has built a sense of community, teamwork and self worth for our scouts. Our pack emphasizes thinking of others all the time. Each scouts isn't allowed to think of themselves during scout time. While each scout needs to use their achievements to build self confidence, they are encouraged to recognize others first. Most importantly I love how he is learning things that will matter for the rest of his life.

Right now our den is working with a local boy scout troop where our cub scouts are learning how to camp - survival style. We meet with the troop once a month and are learning different ways to pitch a tent, start a fire, get bearings, follow trails - without any tools at all. Not only are our cub scouts learning these skills, they are learning how to follow authority and directions when it matters. Its awesome.

I could care less about the limited gay stand BSA has taken. I don't know of one LGBTxyz group or organization that can teach my son these kinds of survival and common sense skills. So we are full supporters of the BSA and everything it has to offer the youth in this country and the rest of the world. And btw, we don't need BSA for my son to learn these things - I'm married to Mr. Survival Man who can teach my son everything he needs to know. We're in scouts for the sense of teamwork it provides for our son.

I have a friend that had a heck of a time finding a BOY Scout group that KINDLY allowed her to attend the meetings, since she is a single parent.

There were some grumbling from some of their wives. (good grief) But once she found a group, she has loved it. It has been great for her son. His father was not in his life and then the father died, so this boy has benefited from this experience.

He is now in 6th grade and did have to quit the scouts. The commitment became too much for them at this point, but he loved his time with them.

How old is he? Is it really Boy Scouts or is it Cub Scouts? My son had a lot of fun with Cub Scouts and learned a lot, but he lost interest and it became much more difficult once he got to Boy Scouts and he left after one year. In our Troop the Boy Scout camping is pretty rigorous and there is a lot of work to stay on track, earn the awards, etc. He no longer found it fun and had other interests. I was his den leader during his entire Cub Scout experience.

I also agree that there has been a lot of controversy involving the Scouts and every pack or troop also handles that differently. It bothered my son a little as he got older. He was unaware of the controversy when he was a Cub Scout. And it's true, there's a lot of fundraising--selling things like popcorn and wreaths, pancake breakfast tickets, working at the breakfast, baked item auctions, among other things. We enjoyed selling the wreaths because they were very high quality and our son took pride in being one of the biggest sellers in his pack as a Cub Scout, but it is a big commitment every year.

So for us it was a mostly positive experience as a Cub Scout, but not so much as a Boy Scout. It is an educational experience. Like many things, you get out of it what you put into it. It does require boys to work towards a goal and at the younger level the parents should be involved to guide them and get the most out of the experience.

I also agree with the other poster that a lot depends on your pack or troop, the individual leaders, etc. Call the leaders of your local pack or troop and ask them for more information, when and how often they meet. They should be happy to answer your questions and you will get a feel for their leadership and the type of atmosphere they promote. Most are affiliated with or meet at a school or religious institution.

ETA: Our family is opposed to the anti-gay stance of the BSA and our son knows this, although it wasn't discussed until he was a little older. He hasn't been in Scouts for two years and admittedly we weren't fully aware of the issues when he was in Cub Scouts and many of the issues hadn't fully emerged at that time. However, every state and troop handles it differently. Our local branch of the BSA has voiced opposition to the BSA stance and has chosen to not enforce it. I can't imagine our former Troop kicking anyone out for their sexual orientation and in fact I suspect one of the prominent scouts to emerge from our Troop and to earn his Eagle is gay. After our son chose to leave Scouts for other reasons he found out he had a good friend who left another Troop in another community because of the BSA stance. Our son agreed with his friend and said, "I'm glad I'm no longer in Scouts." The point I am trying to make is that every local branch is different. Then it becomes a matter of to what extent you believe being a member of a local group supports that national organization. I find the BSA stance frustrating and don't agree with it, but I still think Scouts was educational and gave our son some skills and experiences he values. And yes, I can see how someone would see that as hypocritical, but I appreciated our local branch standing up to the BSA, once we became aware of the issues.

my son really likes it, lots of fun activities.
But as mentioned in a few posts it really depends on your pack leaders and den leaders.
Have fun
Many blessings

A lot depends on the troops that are available to you.
Some are great, some are not so great.
The troop we have near us are all about popcorn sales.
If you don't have people to sell to, they are not interested in having you join up.
(Hypothetical question - if every kid in the troop can fully fund their membership and activities (their parents pay for all of it), what do they need to raise funds for?)
When I'm looking for an extra curricular activity my main focus is not to have my kid being pimped (used as a marketing ploy) to shill/hawk what ever it is they are selling.
It's true that some people really love selling stuff and they get a big kick out of it.