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Would you let your ds join the Boy Scouts?

post #1 of 161
6/13/05 at 10:24pm
Thread Starter 
Would you let your ds join the Boy Scouts? Why or why not? This has been an ongoing battle between dh and me. (Though ds is only 7 months :LOL ) So, I'm just looking for some input. Thanks.

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post #2 of 161
6/14/05 at 11:03am
No. I am opposed to their stance on gay people, so I could not support them in any way.
post #3 of 161
6/14/05 at 11:06am
:
Plus the religion part - too much exclusion all around.
post #4 of 161
6/14/05 at 11:09am
See above and above.
post #5 of 161
6/14/05 at 11:20am
: to all the above.
post #6 of 161
6/14/05 at 11:20am

I do.

I have a 13 yo and a 8 yo they are bolth in scouts. I like the responsibility and skills it teaches. Plus an Eagle Scout is a great thing to have on resumes etc. My 13 yo has learned so much from scouts and has some good friends in his troop. My 8 yo just started and cant wait for the next week. My 4 yo wants to go to scouts so bad he's obsessed.

FWIW Michelle :
post #7 of 161
6/14/05 at 11:45am
We tried it with our son. Mostly because of the pine derby car races. After this year we are done with it. Same things everyone else mentioned. Also, because it is Dad-run, it can get chaotic. Not like the orderly and more quiet Girl Scouts at all. No offense to dads but they seem to have a high tolerance for running around, loud noise and boys doing inappropriate things.
post #8 of 161
6/14/05 at 12:22pm
Sadly, no, I would not allow any sons of mine to participate in such a prejudiced group as the boy scouts. Which is really a shame as I believe strongly in all the good that can come from scouting

-Angela
post #9 of 161
6/14/05 at 12:41pm
The BS are too intolerant for my taste so we're looking into Spiral Scouts as an alternative.
post #10 of 161
6/14/05 at 12:47pm
I absolutely will not allow them to be in Boy Scouts because of their stance on homosexuals. There are plenty of other activities and groups that do not clash with my beleifs that would allow the same sort of growth and interaction, without the prejudice.
post #11 of 161
6/14/05 at 2:37pm
No, because of their stance on non-god believing people and gays.

(my husband is an athiest)
post #12 of 161
6/14/05 at 2:48pm
My DH is an eagle scout : . So I think I would have a hard time convincing him not to, though I do not agree with their stand against homosexuals. But then again there is seldom any organzied even/activity I agree 100% on :LOL . A lot of it depends on if the DS expressed a strong desire to join or not. I would find it hard to explain that he couldn't join because of one thing his mom and dad don't like in the overall scheme of things. At the age when they join most kids do not realize the Boy Scouts view towards things.
post #13 of 161
6/14/05 at 2:55pm
Well, I don't have a child old enough to scout and the one I do have is a girl, but here are my thoughts as of now.

I would allow my son to make his own decision about whether or not he wants to participate but I would make certain he is fully aware of thir policies, and let him know he may not be welcome. I am an atheist and I raise my children that way until they decide otherwise. I would let him know my feelings about the Boy Scouts' antigay policies and hope he makes the decision that this is not an orginization he wishes to be a part of. If not, it is ultimately his choice and he is free to stop participating at any point. If it turns out he just wants to go camping and learn knots and survival skills we can work on that as a family and find other organizations more in line with our own beleifs.
post #14 of 161
6/14/05 at 3:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evergreen
I would allow my son to make his own decision about whether or not he wants to participate but I would make certain he is fully aware of thir policies, and let him know he may not be welcome.... it is ultimately his choice and he is free to stop participating at any point.
That's my plan, too, if it comes up. I also don't like sex-segregated activities, so I'm not a huge Girl Scout fan for that reason. We plan to start a Roots and Shoots chapter soon, and if that takes off maybe it will fulfill whatever it is my kids would be looking for from the Scouts.
post #15 of 161
6/14/05 at 3:52pm
I would explain to him that they are mean to people who aren't just like them and won't let them join and tell him its his choice but I wouldn't want to be part of a group that isn't fair...
post #16 of 161
6/14/05 at 3:59pm
Yes, my son will be a Boy Scout as soon as he is old enough. Dh will also work with his troup. Interesting, one of my best friends was raised an atheist and he is an Eagle Scout. He said he never had an issue with the religious aspect of scouting. He says the Boy Scout experience was incredible for him!
post #17 of 161
6/14/05 at 4:00pm
We are atheists so it's highly unlikely my ds would want to join after he found out they don't like gays and non-monotheists. He has a strong sense of justice. However, the decision would be up to him.
post #18 of 161
6/14/05 at 4:02pm
what do people think of the sea scouts? when i was a kid i had a few friends who where sea scouts, and my partner was a sea scout, i think they are more open minded about stuff, but from what i have read it is for older kids, starting at 12 or 13 or something

i was a brownie scout and i hated it, i wanted to be camping and learning about plants and wilderness and instead there was craft projects and artsy stuff, and while i loved art i hated having to do pre planned art where i didn't get to be creative, gluing things on pine cones to make them look like christmas trees was really borring to me, and the one camping trip we went on the scout leaders daught for crysalises and killed all the butterflies inside, and beingthe sensetive kid i was, it was just horble
post #19 of 161
6/14/05 at 4:10pm
My Ds wanted to do some Boy Scouting stuff back when he was about 7/8 yrs old. We found that we (and Ds found too) didn't care for it. It was very chaotic (and chaos is fine, but nothing cooperative of fun was happening because of it) and few of the boys really did get involved in our projects. We had a family history project and my son and another boy were the only ones who did anything for it. There was also alot of bullying. It just didn't feel good.

We went because my son wanted to try it out, and we try to support their interests. It's not something I would have ever chosen for him though (for reasons other posters have mentioned). I know that every troop is probably differnet but it left a bad taste in our mouths for the scouting thing. There are Spiral Scouts and such though.
post #20 of 161
6/14/05 at 4:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by moonfroggy
the one camping trip we went on the scout leaders daught for crysalises and killed all the butterflies inside, and beingthe sensetive kid i was, it was just horble
Oh wow, that is horrible.
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