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Praise for those 'bossy' scoutmasters
The Boy Scouts of America is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
As a former Boy Scout and the father of a current Boy Scout, I’d like to salute all of those who have made Scouting possible — primarily those who volunteer to be Scoutmasters.
Now that I’m an adult, I can have a very real appreciation for what these guys do to help young men learn all the great things that Scouting can offer.
That wasn’t the case when I was a youth. I was like most typical teenagers in that I thought all of the adults who worked with kids did so because they loved being bossy.
We seemed to have more than our share of bossy Scoutmasters in our troop.
For example, when we went on hikes they wouldn’t let us wander off the trail or throw rocks at stuff. They also wouldn’t let us push and shove each other or pick up strange plants or animals.
On campouts, our Scoutmasters were so mean that they would make us wash our hands and faces every day. They would make us brush our teeth and hair. They wouldn’t let us play in the campfire, run around barefoot in the woods or go anywhere without taking a buddy.
Can you believe that they would make us cook nutritional meals rather than eat candy all day?
Also, they would make us pick up every tiny scrap of paper or food before leaving a campsite.
They would even make us say “please” and “thank you” whenever we went on an educational tour.
And they wouldn’t let us canoe without lifejackets or ride in cars without wearing our seatbelts.
Can you believe how mean these guys were? And, yet, despite all of this, I still very much enjoyed Scouting and am grateful for the many dedicated adults who made it possible to learn all of the things it had to offer.
I also know that, thanks to some wonderfully dedicated adults, my son is enjoying many of the same experiences I once did.
And, as a father, I’m delighted that they continue to be “bossy,” because not only is my son learning how to tie knots, read a compass and build a fire, he is, most importantly, learning how to become a responsible citizen.
Anne commented, on February 25, 2010 at 3:33 p.m.:
Sadly you forgot to mention that the Boy Scouts discriminate against gays.
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