On my honor.....

My two oldest boys have a passion - and I've fallen for it too -  Boy Scouts.  I can't think of a more valuable activity for them to be a part of.   This past week, William bridged from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts and went on his first Boy Scout camp out.  His excitement about being included with an older group of boys was amazing to watch.   I had a few moments this week when my heart swelled with awe, appreciation and excitement for these opportunities for him.  Saturday night's campfire was a memory that will last a lifetime for William, Bart and I.

William entering the troop, literally supported by the older scouts.  Blurry campfire lighting.

Saying goodnight and goodbye to our very happy Scout.  Again, blurry night campfire lighting.

William and Owen chose different troops, which adds a lot to the family calendar, but each troop is unique in their own way and both picked a troop perfect for them.   Owen's troop is filled with his closest friends and once a month he gets to camp with them.  How cool is that for a 14 year old boy?!    He is a Life scout, meaning that the next rank is Eagle!  He's finishing up merit badges and trying to think about an Eagle project.  Becoming an Eagle Scout takes organization, hard work, determination, leadership, interactions with adults and all around grit.  What other activity gives your child all of that?  Owen and Bart are preparing for a 65 mile hike at Philmont this summer. This is one of the Boy Scout high adventure camps, meaning it is not for rookies and takes lots of training.  Even though I will spend SIXTEEN days as the only parent at home with the other three kiddos, I am so excited for Owen to share this experience with his Dad.  And I can guarantee that Bart will be back in a few years to share it with William.  

What their two troops have in common is dedicated, trusting adults who are just really good people.  Sometimes when you try to teach your child something, it doesn't get through to them, but when another adult speaks the same message, its more memorable.  The opportunities are endless in both troops.  Recently, William has earned merit badges in Chemistry and Movie Making - as an 11 year old.   So fun!  Exposure to all kinds of life skills and future career options.  In a related note, Owen knows for sure that he doesn't want to be a truck driver (but proudly wears the trucking merit badge on his sash!)

You know your kids are growing and having fun if they don't mind camping in this weather!

The Boy Scout handbook says that the scout law "will show you how to live as a boy and as a man."  It seems like many adults in the world today could use a refresher on this!  I couldn't write a better code for my boys to learn and live by.