Choosing the right Boy Scout Troop.

So, prior to the blue and gold, we were supposed to visit other BS troops in our area in order to make a more informed decision about where we were going to have our son spend the remaining of his scout years.

Its kind of like picking out a new dentist.  You ask your friends, neighbors, other members, but you really dont know until you start going. 

My son loves scouts.  Is not a sport guy at all.  He is the type of person you want next to you on a plane if it goes down in the mountains!  He was 8 when he built a waterproof lean - to in my backyard.  He was also 8 when he started a fire using two sticks.  (partially my fault, I had show him to make a bow and use the string gizmo) 

He loves the woods, loves camping and is your general grizzly adams type of character.  So, it was important for us to find a troop that fit what he wanted.  1000% scouting.  My husband and son went to meetings, went on the webelos camp out etc etc.  Did everything they were supposed to do to find just the right fit for my son.. 

Guess what!  It was the wrong fit for my son.  The troop we picked, we thought kept a tight reign on things.  They did not.  My son, due to other issues, needs a little more prodding towards goals than maybe, some other kids.  Needs a little more structure.  The troop we picked did not have that.  It took us a year to realize our mistake.  (there was a little more to it than this, but not really necessary to go into detail)

What did we do?  We moved him.  Just because you put your son into a troop, that does not mean that he has to be there for life.  If its not a good fit, then its not a good fit. 

BS's is so different the cub scouts.  We dont attend meetings or camp outs.  We dont go to community service projects or eagle projects.  We drop them off in a parking lot.  We have to rely on the values that we have taught our boys so far to carry them through.  Which means, that when we drop them off in the parking lot (handing them over to patrol leaders who are huge and need a shave), we are relying on their 11 yr old sense of right and wrong to carry them through.  They will be influenced by boys who were not raised with the same sense of values. 

Remember, this is about the boys.  More specifically, this is about your son.  If after a day, or a month or a year, you decide that the troop is not a good fit, then move your son.  But, dont make this decision lightly.  Dont move him because he's being picked on.  According to my husband, boys get picked on.  Use it as a learning tool. 

But, if it is not a good fit at all, then by all means, move!