Shared excitement

Last night my son, Samuel, passed his board of review for First Class Scout in his boy scout troop, and was made patrol leader. His interest has fluctuated in the almost two years he has been involved in scouts, generally depending on his leader's enthusiasm and organization.

Samuel doesn't like being involved in anything that is going to "waste his time". Get him highly involved, learning new things and refining skills, and that boy is unstoppable! Put him under too much pressure, or let things get erratic, and he melts down.

Yesterday afternoon approached the meltdown phase, as he worked out some issues with his last project for his Scoutmaster conference before the board of review. And he got it done. Then there's the mystery of the missing uniform shirt. . .seen by four witnesses, hanging in the closet, just last week.

He was also made Patrol Leader for his patrol, the Black Hawks. There are four boys now, with a fifth to join them in a couple of months, when he turns twelve. The troop has gotten casual about uniforms and some of the "trappings" of scouting, but Samuel and his Scoutmaster are teaming up to raise enthusiasm for going "all-out". We picked up a few pieces he needed to finish off his uniform, and we're considering making the boys all matching black neckerchiefs with hawk outlines in silver on them.

Today we spent a good bit of time looking at what he wants to work on next, and where it might fit into his home school curriculum.

So, what lessons am I drawing from these experiences?

I really appreciate the adults who give so much of their time, and themselves, to making Scouting work for our children. I see the value in structure and direction, as well as challenge at appropriate levels. And most of all, I enjoy the positive energy of enthusiasm!

It's useful to harness that energy, when enthusiasm is high, to create momentum and structure for the times when it ebbs a bit.

Then there's the self-awareness aspect of needing to know your own learning/working styles. How involved do you need to be to optimize your involvement in activities? How many different directions can you go, how many activities can you be involved in before you end up distracted and drained? How far ahead do you enjoy planning your schedule?

Onward & upward!
Aloha!