I'll be there. I promise. On my honor. We use these phrases all the time. It is important that we don't make commitments lightly. If we have no intention of keeping a commitment, then don't make the commitment. People count on us all the time. Our word is our bond.
Reputations are funny things. Our actions create our reputation far more often than our words. If we tell someone we are going to do something, they will believe us. Right up to the time we don't do what we said we would. Once can be forgiven and worked around. Make it a habit of giving lip service to people ... tell them what they want to hear, and not following through, we get a reputation of being unreliable. As scouts, we promise, to do our best, and that means doing our best to keep commitments.
As parents of scouts, our job is to make sure that our child's commitments are kept unless extraordinary circumstances prevent it. They learn that if their commitments aren't important enough for you to help them keep their commitment(s), then their commitment(s) aren't important enough to keep.
BSA stands for Boy Scouts of America. It does not stand for Baby Sitters Anonymous. When there is work to be done, most of the time, the scouts could use support from adults. As an organization, we are about to embark on family scouting, welcoming both boys and girls into our movement. The requirements are exactly the same. As our children work toward the highest scout rank, that of Eagle Scout, the scouts will learn to rely on each other. We should have a very deep bench of parents and other interested adults to help fill in where dedicated, trained volunteers need a bit of help. Next time you think about dropping off your scout for 1.5 hours, consider staying and finding out what the leaders are doing, and what your scout is learning. You might find it's fun.
For those parents who have stepped up, thank you. For those parents who may have something more important than staying 1.5 hours on a Monday evening, when your scout gets into the car, ask them about their evening. What did they learn? Did they have fun? Did they make any commitments to help someone out? And find out details. If commitments were made, that cannot be kept, let someone know. Your scout's word is their bond.
For those parents who have had scouts go through the program, we know this program really works, and the movement turns out well rounded young people. Those who are active in the scouting movement tend to be more self reliant, and resilient when dealing with adversity. They learn how to trust and work as a team. They learn that service to others can be as rewarding as getting things for themselves. We all need to work together to make sure each and every scout has the opportunity to go as far in the movement as they wish. It's their program to work, but adult support is critical.
We take this pledge at every meeting. We promise to do our best to do our duty.... We describe our ideals in the scout law, and leading the list is "A Scout is Trustworthy". We keep the commitments we make. We help each other out. If your scout has the determination to work the program and become an Eagle Scout Candidate, you will want other scouts to help your scout with their Eagle project. That's how this works. If your scout signs up for a project, make sure they get there.
If they get the message that their word is their bond, and that their commitments matter, everyone has a very good day indeed.
