Many thanks to Salamander and Odhinn
Click the pic and donate
or the Doberman gets it!
Posted on 10/27/2011 6:40:42 AM PDT by Former Fetus
Bobby Montoya is a 7-year-old boy from Denver. Unlike a lot of young boys, Bobby has no desire to join the Boy Scouts. Instead, he wants to be a Girl Scout.
We first saw Montoya's story over at 9news.com. The NBC affiliate reports that when the boy's mother, Felisha Archuleta, tried to sign her son up for Girl Scouts, a troop leader told her no.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I remember as a teen, I took a course in High School called Health Careers. It had 3 boys, including me in the class and 12 girls. Yeah, I’d like to join the girl scouts, would be a blast!
If he were a teenager, I’d say he wanted to be an “Explorer” scout. But he’s seven, which makes me wonder about his family and upbringing.
Perhaps he s precocious.
“BUT HE WANTS IT!”
Some years ago, the daughter of a friend of mine wanted to join the GS. This girl had more character in her little finger than a whole troop of scouts. She was told they were not accepting new members. The troop leader had all she could handle. That was that.
But that was then. (Less than 10 yrs ago.) And that was a normal girl.
“...when a 13 or 16 yr old boy wants to be a Girl Scout and sleep in tents with the girls?”
Boys have always wanted to join the Girl Scouts for this very reason, LOL.
In this case, someone needs to take that kid to the hardware store and buy him power tools.
Little Bobby on why he wanted to join the Girl Scouts: "Dat's where da wimminz is"!
Character had nothing to do with that.
Troop leaders are unpaid volunteers and when they have all the girls they feel they can can handle (5-10-20 or 30) they do not have to accept any more girls into their troop.
Anyone who has tried to manage 22 1-3rd graders after school, with only an occasional parent helper, like I did, understands this.
That is when a parent who is told the troop is full, has to step up and start a new troop.
And THAT is character.
Time to learn you can’t always get what you want.
Time to learn you can’t always get what you want.
Why do I have this feeling that it isn’t the little boy who wants it, it’s his parents pushing for this. At age 7 they don’t know what they want unless it’s the latest new toy.
Why do I have this feeling that it isn’t the little boy who wants it, it’s his parents pushing for this. At age 7 they don’t know what they want unless it’s the latest new toy.
As for character, it used to be considered a qualification for scouting. Nowadays it wouldn't surprise me if being a girl isn't necessary. In any case, the girl I referred to would have been a splendid addition to the troop, and that is all.
As for "when a parent who is told the troop is full, has to step up and start a new troop...THAT is character;" surely you realize not every parent is able to do that, and being unable does not reflect on their character.
And this is the nonsense that WE have to deal with on our end. Ma’am, I appreciate that you want your girl in OUR troops, but for the exact same reason it destroys the boy scouts.
I used to be a leader of a troop, and did my time in one. We quit and folded up tents when we were told that we HAD to accept girls. It. Just. Doesn’t. Work.
“Character” was never a qualification for Scouting.
There was and is no pretest.
Character formation and education was and is one of the goals of Scouting for its members.
Now, a kid (especially older) who will not live by the GS Law- can be denied troop membership by a Troop leader whio can document and jusify - and let Council find her another placement situation
Joining Scouts requiresonly the desire and eligibility to join (by age, and at least formerly, by gender)
And when someone’s post uses an example of a friend’s grudge from a “normal” girl being turned away from a GS troop “many years ago” then what is the implication?
Yes I get defensive.
As a GS placement coordinator, I hear all the excuses and whining in the world about why someone else should be a Troop leader and take their child into their GS troop because the requesting(or demanding or whining) parent is just too busy
I wouldn’t be a GS if my mother didn’t start a troop (widowed single parent of 3 kids under 8, working shifts as a nurse, and going to night school for a master’s degree)
and my daughter wouldn’t be a GS if I didn’t start a troop
So yep, THAT is character. Complaining for “many years” that a wonderful normal kid was turned away from a GS troop (whatever that implies) ... is not...imho
My friend had no grudge whatsoever. I don’t know what your problem is but I’m not interested in any further contact with you.
BTW: I have been with Scouts since I was a BOY 35 years ago. I have never had a problem with letting sibling learn scouting. (boy or girls). It helps keep the families involved.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.