GIVE DADS A CHANCE
Photo by Carl W. EysenbachLakewood, Ohio
Photo by Carl W. EysenbachLakewood, Ohio
Photo by Carl W. EysenbachLakewood, Ohio
When Mr. West called his Committee at ten o’clock on a Saturday night to pose for a picture at noon on Sunday, he found that six men were out of town. The other nineteen are shown here. That’s a good example of the Committee cooperation Mr. West describes in this article.
By Gerry WestScoutmaster, Troop 78Lakewood, Ohio
By Gerry WestScoutmaster, Troop 78Lakewood, Ohio
By Gerry WestScoutmaster, Troop 78Lakewood, Ohio
By Gerry West
Scoutmaster, Troop 78
Lakewood, Ohio
⚜We start getting a dad’s interest when his boy joins the Troop. The boy is invited to a meeting by a Scout. We make him welcome, tell him to look us over and we’ll look him over too. After he’s been to a meeting or two we talk to him about passing Tenderfoot tests, and tell him when he’s ready to come to our home. We ask him to bring dad along to meet us.
So, the evening we’ve both agreed upon arrives. So does the Scout-to-be and his dad. We set them at ease and start to pass the boy on his tests. He’s ready all right and does a good job, and we make it a point to let him know it. Then we tell of the 2nd Class requirements, how simple they are to pass, and how with a little bit of help from dad there is no reason why he shouldn’t be Eagle in a couple of years.
Dad, pleased that his son is on the first step of Scouting, is in a receptive mood, so we go on to explain the fun in Scouting for man and boy, how winter camps are the highlight of our Troop activities and how other dads go along on these camps.
Our Troop registers about thirty-six Scouts every year and this year we registered twenty-four dads. They are Scouters and take an active interest in problems confronting the Committee. On the average, we have no less than fifteen dads at every monthly Committee meeting. Not everyone can make every meeting, but all can and do pitch in whenever we have a special project to work on.
For instance, we needed money to buy camping equipment a year or so ago. One dad took over as chairman of the project which turned out to be a waste paper and magazine drive. He rallied twenty-eight Scouts and twenty dads and their cars. We put $250 into the Troop treasury and had a swell time doing it.
Four of the dads on the Troop Committee act as a Board of Review for the Troop. Then at the subsequent Court of Honor this same group along with other members of the Committee sit on the Court and make the awards. At these Courts of Honor we make it a point to invite and expect every mother and dad to attend—even though their son may not be up for an award. We know he will be at a future Court, and know his mother and dad would want the same cooperation and interest shown by other parents.
As I’ve said, we like to go camping, to spend long week-ends in the woods, and when one of these week-ends comes along another dad steps into the picture. He’s our Transportation Chairman and it’s his job to see that the Scouts get to and from camp.
Because our dads come from every walk of life and all kinds of businesses, we look into their daily jobs or hobbies for special talents that might be employed at a Troop meeting. One of our dads is Lieutenant Commander in the Coast Guard, so some weekend this fall the Troop will take a trip and visit the local Coast Guard Station and see how it is operated, and incidentally look over and into the workings of a submarine stationed there.
No you won’t get them all. You’ll run across the dad who just can’t do much because of his job, and you’ll run across the dad just not interested—even the fellow who is most willing to have you take the boys to camp, his boy included, and not even be able to lend a hand with transportation. Don’t let these few discourage you however, nor cause you to slacken your efforts to ask the next dad who comes along. Don’t be afraid to go out and ask for help. Give your dads a chance and you’ll have more fun in Scouting, you’ll have a better Troop and you’ll have an easier job.