Putting the Boys First

by Tristi Pinkston | More from this Blogger

19 Sep 2007 01:19 PM

I'm serving as the Wolf leader in my ward right now. Because of lack of leaders, I've kept the boys after they graduated into Bears, so my den right now is half Wolves/half Bears. (We sound so wild, don't we?) We've got things worked out to where the Bears come at 6:00 and the Wolves come at 6:30, and I try to find activities that are beneficial to both groups for that last half hour. So far it's been working great.

Later in the fall, we're going to start meeting at the church, the whole pack together, and then splitting off into our groups. This has been a long hard thought process - how to get the boys what they need the most. And what are those needs?

1. Leaders 2. Fun and educational activities 3. Recognition for their hard work 4. The chance to build their self-esteem 5. A place to meet that's convenient

Meeting at the church just seems like the logical solution.

Keeping the needs of the boys foremost in mind is a must for any Scouting program. It really is about the boys - it's not about making the leaders look good, or doing things in ways that just suit the leaders - this is for the boys, to get them the foundations that they need as they go forward with their lives. Sometimes this means changing the time of the meeting. Sometimes it means changing the location, or getting new leaders, and there are times when certain boys need to be kept separate from each other so they don't fight. Whatever needs to be done to promote the overall success of the boys should be done.

There's nothing like seeing these boys grow in confidence as they achieve in the Scouting Program. Whatever the circumstances are in your den, I encourage you to work with your leaders to make sure that the boys are always the priority and that their needs are coming first.

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Primary Time: Cub Scouts

Serving in Scouts

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Learn more about Tristi Pinkston

I've been a blogger for Families.com since August of 2006.

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