I’m not sure but I think I just attended a cult meeting.
There were adults in matching uniforms, teenagers in costume, a rustic bridge, the passage of young boys, and ceremonial rules which required silence during a ceremony.
I just attended my first Boy Scout meeting with my nine year old and frankly, I’m more than concerned.
As I sat there tonight I thought, “I actually encouraged this. I’m the one who suggested Alex be a scout.”
Scouting? Must be all about camping and derby car races, right?
No, there’s more, so much more.
The meeting tonight focused on the bridging ceremony of two weblo scouts going into an older boy scout troop.
The ceremony started out with the den leader telling the audience that this was one of the few solemn ceremonies in boy scouts.
Super. My two year old is with me and it’s the one night of a quiet ceremony.
Three high school boys then begin the ceremony dressed in Indian gear. I mean, leather pants, freaky looking colorful shirt, and a full on headdress. Not to be out done, the fourth boy wore a wolf on his head.
Then they began speaking. It was like a second grade play. No one knew their lines. As if all of the”uhs” and “ums” weren’t enough, there were several painful humming interludes.
It was weird.
I mean what teenage boys do you know want to play dress up and hum into front of a hundred people?
We left about twenty minutes into the ceremony.
I took my daughter’s, “I poopy,” as a cue and ran out of there as quickly as possibly.
This was my first boy scout meeting and quite possibly my last.
After all, I’d still prefer to think of boy scouts as more camping and less Village People.
Haha! Have no fear…yes, that was probably the worst night to attend your first scouting meeting. And yes, I felt the same way the first time I saw the ‘Bridge-Arrow of Light- Ceremony’. Trust me, though…this is the only weird ceremony in the scouting program we’ve witnessed. My husband is a former Eagle scout and now Cub Master. My 9 year old loves the program. The skills they learn are quite amazing, plus they have a ton of fun! I hope you’ll give it another chance…go on Derby night or Raingutter Regatta, or Fine Food Auction…
i’m sorry that your first impression wasn’t the best. as hard as it is to sit through these ceremonies as parents, we have to remember that we are watching teenagers who aren’t always as comfortable being up in front of people as adults are. they went at this with the best intentions and tried their best to honor the program, i’m sure. as awkward as it may have been for you to watch, they probably felt more awkward. the uniforms and ceremonies in scouting programs (boy or girl) have such things to create a feeling of unity and reverance for the program. scouting is an amazing way of helping kids develop strong ethics while having fun. we have a young man at my church who is an eagle scout. he’s been active since he was a child and has the most impeccable manners and giving spirit. i wouldn’t let this dissuade you just yet. give it another try on a more relaxed night and see what you think then! best wishes 🙂
hey jennifer…feel free to delete my above comment as i no longer stand on that position. i was speaking from my general knowledge of the boy scouts. i spoke with a friend who’s a lawyer and knows alot about everything. i found out some interesting things about the boy scouts… there are sources out there that do indeed consider them cultish… here’s a link to share some of what i found. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=000&invol=99-699 you can get more of this type of stuff by searching “boy scouts bigotry”. i hope there’s no hard feelings.
best wishes… a new follower 🙂
I just am discovering your blog for the first time (through “At Home with K’s link party)…and I’m just loving it. This post gave me a belly laugh… Thanks!:)
My son’s been in Boy Scouts for a year now and I still dread going to Pack Meetings! If it’s not one “weird” thing, it’s another! And like you, I encouraged it. I wanted him to make friends with some of our neighbors. I had no idea how much parent time is required for this! But thanks for the laugh!
I must say, I was never jealous that ya’ll were in Scouts and I was not.