Monday, June 11, 2007

The ravages of war and day camp.


I spent the day at Cub Scout Day Camp. I am feeling sun burnt and shell shocked. Let's just say, I was out numbered. Our pack made the appropriate arrangements to provide one Walking Leader per five boys. I don't think all the packs in the city got the same memo. I had 17 boys in my group, only six of which were accompanied by an adult. I don't know who these parents of the other 11 boys are! Who would just drop their boys off all day and not make sure there was proper supervision?!
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The term "Walking Leader" in itself is a misnomer. I was misled to believe that I would just be walking the boys from one station to another and there would be other well-meaning volunteers manning the stations in the various activities. Volunteers who were
prepared and animated and knowledgeable.
What crap! Nobody told me this would happen. I came up with the skit. I taught the boys the proper badminton serving technique. I shared my lunch with a boy whose mother (I used the term loosely) didn't pack him one. I kept 12 boys out of the line of fire while 5 shot BB guns and I shook 6 bags of "homemade ice cream" when their little hands got too tired!
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I did learn something very valuable though. My boys are not nearly as obnoxious as most boys. They are not nearly as disrespectful and they are five times better groomed!
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I don't think we will do this next year. We paid $70.00 to have our twins participate and the only things they got excited about was the BB gun shooting and the archery! Next year, I will just take my two boys out to the desert for target practice. I can get a bow and arrow set at the Walmart for $14.88. Let's do the math. That is a savings of $55.12!
An afternoon in the desert with my two sons, minus 300 other people's sons? Priceless.

33 comments:

  1. It sounds like they should reimburse you the $70 bucks and offer to pay you for your services. Live and learn...live and learn. :)

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  2. When I was 10 I went to Cub Scout Camp. We sharpened knives, cut apples and sewed together leather pouches for our belts.

    Later that day I went hiking with some friends to gather treasures for our pouches.

    Subsequently a rock fell on my arm and I spent the next 10 days in the hospital.

    Maybe we should ask Big Rick how much that Scout Camp cost.

    I would gladly volunteer to teach BB gun shooting at your Scout camp.

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  3. WOW! I am so glad that wasn't me!You are a "trooper". I have been a Den Mother before. Those cute little boys can be a bit crazy most of the time.

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  4. I think you are on to something! I'll have to check more into our cub scout day camp coming up next month. Maybe it is not worth it.

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  5. Nanette- My services. Dang right! And I don't come cheap either.

    Ruggless-I knew the scout thing was going to be a huge mistake. The only stories I hear about scouting are horror stories. We better get out before it's too late.

    Mom2princess-I have purposefully asked not to be given any scouting callings until my boys were in it. I didn't want to be burnt out before my time. Now that I am the Primary President, sometimes cub scout responsibilities fall on me when their leaders aren't available. After today, I'm officially burnt out.

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  6. Amanda- Honestly, there was a few times during the day that I had to stop myself from taking my boys and going home.

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  7. All I can say is that I'm so glad that my cub scout days are over.

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  8. You have my sympathy. My third son just turned eight and will be attending day camp next month. Our pack still needs two volunteers. . .


    wa

    hoo :|

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  9. I have to admit... when I found out that my little scout would be in Idaho with his grandparents during day camp... I leapt for joy! Your story just reconfirms my happiness ;)

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  10. I'll be going to Cub Scout camp next week. I'm surprised your pack didn't do any fund raising. We did a car wash and spaghetti dinner, which made the cost that the families had to shell out quite small.

    Glad you survived!

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  11. Payney, I saw write a letter to the local BSA chapter. Let them know that your boys would be better off with you in the desert with a walmart bow and arrow than at their 'camp' which sounds like was a lawsuit waiting to happen (throwing in that last bit may be the thing to get them to pay attention). There's no way you can hae that many little boys unsupervised and not have something eventually go terribly wrong.

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  12. I'm not even going to admit which horrible mother I know that sent her son to Scout Camp last week without the proper paperwork and then he had to sit out of his group until his flaky mom could get there and straighten it out. He's a very tender 9 year old and the other boys kept taunting him that his 'mommy didn't pay for him, and no papers meant he was an illegal.' Yeah, those other boys were just so very charming and considerate.

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  13. Oh, and guess what I learned Annie? You never, ever, under any circumstances talk smack about a church organization because then you'll be called to lead and organize it. Our Cub Scouts are just a big mess with only a few people that know what the heck they're doing.Too many times I sat outside the Den Leader's house waiting to drop off Buster only to have her pull a no-show and she didn't even bother to tell me. Papi decided that Buster repeats all the same stuff in Boy Scouts anyway so we elected to just blow off Cub Scouts. One hour after that conversation, the phone rang. Papi got called to be the new Cubmaster. He's very sad about it, but he looks smoking hot in his little Scout uniform!

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  14. Let me just say that I don't mind volunteering. I liked being with the boys. I don't mind stepping up and helping make it a fun day for them.

    I did really mind the lack of supervision for the other packs. I think the people running it should put some sort of system in place that insures that only the packs with enough leaders get to go. And if boys show up with no leader, their parents get called to come back and get their kids. I'm just sayin'.

    The Payne Family vacation is already on the calendar of the 2nd week of June next year!

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  15. Elastic! We are in each others heads this morning. I was about to say that!

    Well, I do have a lot of suggestions. Maybe I should be on the planning committee for next year.

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  16. oh man!!!! Scouts.....I think I am busy that day.

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  17. This is why in my house we don't use the "S" word... scouting!

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  18. i must agree with you in the fact that it always helps when i bring ava around other children her age or close to her age because there's always at least ONE child who makes me appreciate ava ten times better.

    as for day camp...if it saves you money, and sanity, i say don't do it next year!

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  19. I wouldn't let my son join cub scouts this year because we already have too many other obligations; I no longer feel guilty after reading your post.

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  20. Here the church pays for Day Camp for the boys in the ward.
    My husband used to be a District Executive for the BSA, and we had to deal with camp all summer long. I am glad those days are now in the past.
    One year at camp our boys got to throw Tomahawks. Because his Dad was there my then six year old got to go to camp. He did really well throwing the tomahawk, but its still scary.
    I have five boys...I will never be done with scouts, and because of the more in depth knowledge I have of scouting as a business, I hate scouting. I only let the boys do it because of the church. Otherwise they would not be doing it at all.

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  21. You are very brave. Whenever I think of a large group of boys getting together, I always assume "Lord of the Flies" anarchy will ensue.

    I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. I really hope that the lady who forgot her son's lunch was mistakenly told it would be provided.

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  22. Well, now you see why I respectfully declined to participate. I did the "walking Leader" thing all three years for my son and I figure I did my time. You see what happens when they put men in charge (LOL) of things. Your experience is very similar to others of us who felt that it is important to be good, concerned mother among the many who are simply looking for another place to dump their children off.

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  23. I'm so giggling at Heathann's comment. Reading that book and watching that movie have scarred me for life, I tell you!

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  24. Wow...I think I need to send our regional cub leaders a thank you card, and maybe a pie.

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  25. Lord of the Flies!

    It was interesting to note how each boy seemed to grow an inch taller and how he stuck his chest out and bragged about how many cans he hit after they shot the BB Guns.

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  26. Who would just drop their boys off all day and not make sure there was proper supervision. I believe desperation makes you do crazy things.

    But really, the first year I was assistant Den Mother was pretty tough, there were three kids who were just horrible >:( I just wanted to smack the parents. Why should the rest of us have to suffer?

    BB guns are always a hit with boys :) Good times.

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  27. Let me reiterate that I don't have a problem with volunteering. I like volunteering. I am a professional volunteer.

    I just would have like to see the Packs take more responsibility for their own kids. Because I didn't know the names or faces of the boys that I was put in charge of, some of them could have taken off and I wouldn't have any idea.

    Despite that, the boys have had a fun time. They really enjoyed the archery today and are excited about the wooden boxes they have made.

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  28. there needs to be a separation of scouts and church. Sometimes it's like if you don't have your eagle, you're not getting to the ck.
    Don't get me started.
    Hoss was in scouts for 9 years, just got released.

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  29. b.- I agree with you on that for a different reason.

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  30. ...you're not getting to the ck. What is the "ck"?

    I knew you loved voluteering, you are the volunteer extraordinaire.
    I should volunteer to something again. That's always fun (And comedy gold always ensues).

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  31. Our district requires 1 adult for every 4 boys. If you don't have enough adults volunteer--your pack cannot participate. Whoever sposors the camp is responsible for enforcing that kind of a policy. Sorry it was such a pain!

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  32. Ruggless- $6000.00 back in the dayof early medical history 1978.

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  33. Annie, welcome to the league of Super Moms! I volunteered at the cub scout day camp for an entire week for four years in a row. I must be a slow learner. In exchange for my services, my oldest son attended for free (a savings of $250) and my youngest son attended the chipmunk camp for kids too young for cub scouts. Btw, I had to provide their lunch every day.

    My duties included, lifeguard duty (which I had to recertify every year by doing various swimming challenges in the lake water while teenage boys watched.), rowing my den of upper-body strength challenged scouts around the lake...only to find after I took of my life-jacket that I had embarrassing sweat stains over my breasts. Creating skits, challenging and beating my assistant den leader (15-yr-old boy) in marksmanship in BBs. Oh yeah, and that kid had the lifeguards play the Mrs. Robinson song for me over the loudspeaker. Little jerk!

    Needless to say, I was sunburnt, sweaty, embarrassed and forced to eat sandwiches every day for lunch with a herd of 8-10 year olds. Let's just say that at the end of every week I vowed to pay the $250 next year, but I never learned.

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