Boy Scouts

Two years ago, Noach started going to Cub Scouts with a friend from Religious School. They were Web I. Now he is ready to"cross-over" to Boy Scouts. He has not been an altogether enthusiastic Scout but he goes to the meetings and almost always has a good time once we get there. Camping? Not really his cup of tea. But he will go.

We searched hard for the right Boy Scout Troop. The one associated with the Cub Scout Pack was okay. Most of his den were going to that one. He has an older homeschooling friend who is in a very good troop, but also a very large one. They do lots of high adventure camping and require a 50% participation in the camping to qualify for advancement. It is an impressive group but I was afraid Noach would get lost.

Then we found a new troop. This will be their 2nd year. After this crossover, there will be 10 boys. The leader is a very quiet, patient man. I know I felt comfortable when we visited that troop. I had the awkward task of asking whether a Jewish kid would be comfortable in his troop. Some troops are quite Christian and tightly bound to the church which sponsors the troop. We need a troop that is more diverse. The scoutmaster reassured me and so far, he has been right.
This weekend Noach camped with the new troop. He was excited about doing it. At least he said he was excited but he didn't look quite so excited. He planned to help with the cooking and did so. The leader told me he got a little bit homesick just at bedtime but dealt with it well.JP and I traveled to the campsite in the late afternoon for the district cross-over and Arrow of Light presentations. It was fun. There was lots of fire. Solemn drumming and singing. Canoes with torches.Then Noach's name was called and his new Scoutmaster gave him his Boy Scout epaulets. And now he is a Boy Scout. I hope he finds it rewarding. And fun. PRM