Return to Scouting

We have come back to scouting this year. It is  a love affair that has waxed and waned through the years but like real loves go…it is always there.

For Matt the love affair   began   when he became a tiger cub at six and oh…it has taken us to places, opened our senses  to new and exciting experiences, and widened our circle to  like-minded folks out there who have since then become our friends.

For my kid it is like a days-long recess, a non-stop play date with kids his age; a lot of running around, and having fun things to do, campfires and s’mores.  It means going to museums, ball games and nature parks to meet and see and touch—quenching the ever-curious eyes, ears  and hands of a boy.

For his dad and I it is like a long-lost love  that   spans decades of time into our knot-tying and jamboree days; to the days that involved a lot more school meetings and recitations of the Scout oath and allegiance, and district-wide competitions  than actual family time outdoors. But here and now it is better because it is a shared experience.

Here and now   Cub Scouting is a much-anticipated family event.  It means camping ---  packing our tents and sleeping bags or air beds, coolers and folding chairs and tables and lugging them into our SUV’s, and for the most part…driving out of town to some nature park or campsite.  It is such a perfect communion for me---family beside me, friends around me, my camera, and nature all around…

Scouting feeds the inner adventurer, the explorer, the patriot and the lover of wild, rugged and beautiful things in  me. It gives our family  time away to be together, to do new and fun stuff  as a unit along with other families who share the same inclinations.

As Matt gets older, he will realize that scouting is not only about having a great time, it builds his character as well.  He is taught  love of God and respect for his fellows, loyalty to his country and social responsibility.  It will teach him how to be a morally upright individual with a genuine concern for what’s happening in the world,  a healthy respect for nature, a love for the outdoors and sports.  In scouting he will be taught basic skills of survival and he will be exposed  to many adventures and opportunities to build his stamina and physical endurance and to develop his mental and emotional strength. 

I miss scouting too much I cannot stay away; Matthew-- the same. Having my own kid wish to return to scouting makes for  a more compelling reason to get back.  We are back.