I have FOUR brothers – crazy, huh? Here’s a picture of me with three of them at Disney in the 80s (no comments on my Magnum PI shirt please). At the time my mom was pregnant with the fourth brother. I can’t imagine being pregnant and trucking around Disney with four children, but that’s another story.
One thing I think was a big deal in my brothers’ lives was the Boy Scouts of America, so when I received the opportunity to write about them, I took it. I would definitely say that it was hard for my parents to figure out what all four boys were going to do that didn’t require shuttling everyone around to multiple locations but would still be fun and engaging for males of different ages. Boy Scouts fit the bill.
All four brothers were involved in Scouts for many years, and my parents were den parents. I won’t show you a picture of them because my dad had a huge gut in his Scouting shirt and I don’t want to scare you. I will say that it was something the whole family engaged in (I even participated because I loved the events). Each year we would do the Pinewood Derby. I think I loved decorating the cars more than my brothers (hello future crafter!). We also loved the camping. I believe in scouting and saw the difference it made in turning my brothers into young men.
Here are the reasons your son should Be A Scout
- Relieve the Back-To-School Tension – Scouting helps round out a boy’s education and gives him supplementary experiences outside the classroom that can increase his confidence and comfort level with other students.
- Healthy Living – Scouting keeps kids involved in activities that keep them active, in shape, and educated on proper nutrition.
- Exploring Future Tech – Scouting isn’t just tying knots and camping. It’s also introducing young boys to the technologies that are shaping the future. Through scouting, boys are being exposed to skills that they probably would never have had the chance to learn otherwise.
- Bringing Family Together – I love that scouting involves the entire family. So many of the activities and goals that the boys participate in involve the family. A big part of Boy Scouts is building and strengthening family relationships.
I hope you’ll consider it. I know my brothers loved it – maybe your sons would too!
Blogger who loves the color blue and sock monkeys. You can find me in public easily— I'm wearing glasses and lots of stripes.
Great post!! I never had any brothers so never grew up with the Boy Scouts. But having a son, we have had him in scouts since he was 8. He is about to get his Eagle Scout which takes hours and hours and we are very proud and excited
Cute shirt too!! LOL!!
xoxo
Jen
Assistant Cub Master here and I agree, scouting is great.
This is my favorite, favorite! Keeps me going when Scouting gets hard!
Of 100 Boys in Scouting -
* Only rarely will one appear in juvenile court.
* 12 will receive their first church contact through Scouting.
* 5 will receive church religious emblems.
* 1 will enter the clergy due to his Scouting relationships.
* 18 will develop hobbies that will give them a lifelong interest.
* 8 will find their future life vocations.
* 1 will use Scout skills to save another’s life.
* 1 will credit Scout skills with saving his own life.
* 2 of the 100 will reach the Eagle Rank.
* 17 will later become leaders in Scouting and will pass on their skills, inspiration and leadership to countless youth.
A comparative study of the records of Scouts and non-Scouts in a sampling of schools and colleges shows that Scouts hold most of the major positions of leadership in the student body. The survey resulted in the following statistics in regard to school officers bearing a large amount of responsibility.
* Of senior class presidents, 89% were Scouts.
* Of junior class presidents, 80% were Scouts.
* Of business managers of school publications, 75% were Scouts.
* Of student council presidents, 85% were Scouts.
* Of school newspaper editors, 88% were Scouts.
* Of editors of school annuals, 77% were Scouts.
* Of basketball captains, 64% were Scouts.
Numbered among the alumni of the Boy Scouts of America are:
* 64% of Air Force Academy graduates.
* 58% of West Point graduates.
* 70% of Annapolis graduates.
* 72% of Rhodes scholars.
* 85% of FBI agents.
* 26% of the 29 U.S. astronauts.
Unfortunately if we have boys, they will not be joining Boy Scouts until the organization as a whole doesn’t discriminate against gay leaders and scouts. In my area an Eagle Scout was kicked out because he came out
I agree! I do not have boys, but every time I go to an Eagle ceremony and all the other Eagles in the room stand up you realize that these are our community leaders.
I did my nephew’s scouting scrapbooks and I learned so much about scouting during that process. I try to take every opportunity to thank the scout leaders when I see them. They are a huge part of the success of the scouting program.
Scouting is the way to go for boys. Since I am not a boy
, scouts has helped me to figure out how to raise one! I want to be intentional in my parenting. Boy Scouts have been doing this for over 100 years.
My husband is an Eagle Scout. I am very proud of him and the confidence that Scouts gave him as a growing boy…and well…I love boy scout popcorn…just spent WAAAAY too much on it! Mmmmmmm….Cheesey popcorn…
Very well said!!! Both my brothers are Eagle Scouts, my mom & stepdad teach Wilderness First Aid for Scouts & I was in Girl Scouts & I was also in what was Explorers(Veuture Scouts now). My son is in his second year of Cub Scouts and he LOVES it!! He has done & learned many new things & met lots of new friends that he would have not met otherwise. I am also our pack’s Secretary and we plan many outings and events for the kids. I have MANY fond memories, spending a summer at Boy Scout camp, multiple hikes to Gettysburg & Valley Forge. We are a Scout family and proud of it.
Funny you should post this today. My grandson has his first meeting tonight. My brother was in it and I remember all the stuff he did. I liked going to the pack meetings. I won a cake once.
Hi Amy, I was glad to see this post. Scouting was always big in my family and we have several Eagle Scouts. Last year when the Post Office released a stamp in honor of the 100th anniversary of Boy Scouts, I made several Christmas ornaments and gave them to all the Eagles in my family and the leaders in our current Scout troop. See it here:
http://www.make-homemade-gifts.com/boy-scout-stamp-ornament.html
I love the young men that come out of Boy Scouts!