If you don’t know it, I was never a Boy Scout. I never got a chance to go to summer camp, I never got a chance to do Scoutcrafts or learn ScoutSkills…I learned outdoor skills from my Grandpa and from other resources. One thing about not being a scout, is that I never got to work on a Merit Badge or get a Blue Card.
Until this week…
This week is prep week for our summer camp. Me, one ASM and 7 of 10 scouts are heading to Bear Paw Scout Camp. It’s a first for my troop…last year, we just didn’t have the funding to get to camp, and the boys and I felt that instead of using council campership money to offset the cost of camp, those monies should go to more deserving scouts.
As we prepped for this week, making sure that we got all the i’s dotted and the t’s crossed, my CC called and asked if he should get some Blue Cards from the Scout Shop.
“For what?” I asked myself…the Scouts are taking the Eagle Challenge (our council’s version of Scout to First Class). I didn’t think that they would be taking any Merit Badge classes. So I bit…
“Who is working on Merit Badges? They are all taking Eagle Challenge…nobody said anything to me or asked about a blue card.”
Bob replied, “They are going to be working on the Fingerprinting MB, and we should have blue cards ready for them.”
“Oh, sure…yea, I knew that…” Not really, but I couldn’t let Bob get one over on me. “Go ahead and get some, I guess that we will need them sooner than later.”
We chatted a bit more and then I had to walk into work. As I was walking to my desk, I started to think about it…’I am going to be signing my first merit badge cards…’
Wow, something so common in scouting, and I have never signed a card, nor even really looked at one, let alone even think that my scouts would be asking me for one…
Dang, they grow up so fast…but I will sign my first blue card this weekend.
Nice….I signed my first blue cards as SM this summer as well, 18 of ‘em. Good stuff!
Thats awesome Shawn… take it in… sooner than later you will be wanting a stamp. Have a great week at Camp!
Shawn, congratulations! take the responsibility and the relationship with your Scouts seriously. Do NOT buy a rubber stamp. take the time (even if it is seconds) to look each Scout in the eye and talk with them about what the commitment and responsibility, and the potential fun to earn a merit badge means before you sign the front of section #1. And then take the time to get excited and shake their hand and look them in the eye when you congratulate them as you sign the front of panel #2 when they complete the badge. My point is that a boy will only take blue cards and earning MB’s as seriously and exciting as we lead them too by example.
Truly yours in Scouting, Ray
Can’t wait to hear how your first week at camp works out. Good luck to you and to your Scouts!