If It’s Saturday…

…it must be scouts!

And as usual, 20 boys ripped, ran, and promised to do their duty…be their best!

There are some who balk at the idea of scouts. They refer to an archaic ruling that Boy Scouts were able to ban openly gay men who want to be leaders. As an active participant in scouting, I have only seen one person asked to leave, and that was ONLY after she decided that her misbehaving son was being treated unfairly.

Today’s meeting was an informal one. The boys chattered with friends they hadn’t seen all summer and the new boys shyly approached the group to make new friends. The leaders (The Mister, Asst Cub master K, Chairmen X, Mr B, Sarge, Em, myself) mingled with the parents and begin to set the expectations.

Sarge told them that we need the men involved. A father, brother, grandfather, uncle – some trusted man who could have shape the boys. She stressed the importance of having a man help shape them with man things.

One woman snapped that her son’s father was sh*t, her daddy wasn’t sh*t, and she only knew sh*t men.

Um, kay?

As I used my phone to cover my mix of giggles and shock, I could only wonder what the Judge would say:

Do you come from a long line of idiots?

Really lady, YOU picked him. I know at times, The Mister puts on his Larry**** badge, but something made you choose him to be the father of your child. I can hear JJ telling the woman:

Madam, YOU picked him!

What made it worst, was her son was right there. What lesson are we teaching if you say THAT in a public setting. I bet that father is all kinds of EM Effers at home.

People, we GOT to do better!

It wasn’t a day of all foolishness. There were new Wolves for me to lead, juice to be passed, and the bittersweet sight of boys who last year mumbled into my waist, almost eye to eye with me.

Gawd I feel old(er).

This is going to be a promising year. We have new parents who are excited. We have a robust schedule. And my uniform shirt is big on me. Okay that last thing was kind of vain, but whatever.

* Never an issue for Pack 16, we are like an Island of Misfit Toys. We accept all (come to a meeting and you’ll see we don’t have time to discriminate. We’re grooming future Eagle Scouts).

**This kid almost seriously injured another. He HAD to go.

***Some things I KNOW only the Mister can teach: dating habits, shaving, how to mop the kitchen floor.

****One of the Stooges