Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Cub/Boy Scouts?

Just curious if anyone has positive or negative experiences to share.

I was a Scout for many years and enjoyed it, and even though I never really focused on advancement, I got a lot out of it. I particularly enjoyed Order of the Arrow when I was older.

I was perhaps in a slightly unusual situation because troop membership declined sharply when I joined (due to bad recruiting practices). When recruitment started rising again, that left me as the oldest member by far, with the rest of the troop at least 2 years younger (most of them 4 years younger). While I didn't really have age peers there, I think that ended up working out okay. My role ended up being much more advisory (think more Junior Assistant Scoutmaster than Senior Patrol Leader).

If your kid is excited about joining, I'd tell you to go for it. It's also a great way to be involved in the local community (if you aren't already).

I think a lot depends on who the leaders are. "Your mileage may vary" so to speak. But for a gifted kid it as a lot to offer (a range of ages and activities, and the opportunity to really dive deep into things that are interesting - there are merit badges for just about everything ...).

My son (7, diagnosed with ASD) is a Cub Scout (and my daughter, 11, is a Girl Scout). Overall, I think it's a great program. Our local pack doesn't push the religious aspect at all - it would be much more of a problem for us if they did. It has been a really nice opportunity for him to spend more time with his dad, and he's been able to develop some skills that would otherwise probably have languished (#3 popcorn seller in the pack!).

Cub Scouts has been absolutely wonderful for my DS11, he's been in it since 1st grade and this year (his last year as a cub) he is working on his Arrow of Light award. No dogma in our pack, nice parents, and kids are great (and many gifted).

I think that it's also good for boys in general, because by and large, they teach boys control but allow them to be, well boys while they are doing it.

A new mom at one of our meetings was looking at the very youngest scouts who were running around like crazy playing tag and it was stressing her out. She was saying she never let her son behave like that (truthfully, they were just being boys, so I think her viewpoint was skewed by her own son's temperament which is pretty reserved). I said well, the youngest ones were running around but look at the oldest ones (who were helping the den leaders with the younger kids and setting up the race track for Pinewood Derby.) They have gone from being the running around type to the helpful and responsible type, and that's part of what they learn in cub scouts.

Also, my son is really really proud to be a scout. He gets to spend time with his dad, and learn all sorts of things and hang out with a lot of different kids. He is really looking forward to moving up to Boy Scouts next year.

Anyway, I highly recommend it, and if you join and don't gel with a particular pack, don't be afraid to try a different one. But our experience has been an incredibly positive one.

We've had a lot of fun with scouting! I was my older son's den leader for 5 years and helped with the other one's, in cub scouts. They are now in boy scouts.
They both have gotten a lot out of boy scouts- learning how to socialize with boys who may not share your interests; camping; outdoor skills... It isn't perfect but they really like it! They go to the weekly 1 1/2 hour-long troop meeting and camping one weekend a month.
Recently, at a district-wide camping jamboree, my two kids with their friend took first place on a one-mile orienteering course out of 20 teams! Some of the teams were in high school (mine are in grade school and junior high).
We volunteer a lot with boy scouts- it's like everything; you get out what you put in. My kids have done a lot of the science merit badges, which can be interesting and challenging.

My DS11, now in 6th grade, enjoyed being in Cub Scouts from 1st grade to 5th. Our pack had really great and involved leaders. My DH is the "sports coach" in the family/area so it was nice for my DS to be led and guided by other male figures for once. DS decided not to bridge to Boy Scouts because of the time commitment in middle school but I am very happy about the experience he had up until then. Lots of varied activities and stuff we wouldn't have done otherwise because we are not a very "camping" type family.
Good luck with your choice!

If it's a well-run pack or troop, strongly in favor. The best ones cultivate leadership skills and life skills that are otherwise rarely taught to kids these days.

The kids start cooking in 2nd grade; by 4th grade it's bigger cooking projects; and by the time they are Boy Scouts they have to plan the meals for their own campouts.

Boy Scouts are organized into patrols, which have to do a lot of planning for their activities, under adult direction. This teaches a lot of important skills (consensus, taking care of practical details, working with people who have different opinions, etc.)

Definitely positive experiences overall. Most of the kids happen to be gifted.

Be willing to volunteer at least a little bit, because it is all volunteers, and if they burn out, the troop suffers.

See if you can visit different packs/troops and then decide which to join. This is expected.

Your child can just have fun, or they can put more into it (maybe with some direction from you) and get more out of it.

I think the best part of scouting is the focus that is put on service projects. And like DeeDee points out, they learn to do things for themselves, which is not often expected nowadays.

DS10 was a Cub Scout for several years. We wound up pulling him out because his Den Leader did not get him, even after we explained, repeatedly, what DS's challenges were. DS was not liked in the pack, and I know a number of parents were happy when we left. In retrospect I wish we had either switched packs or quit earlier, but, like school, we kept thinking we could get it to work. DS enjoyed the overnights and community service, but was not motivated to earn belt loops or pins.