wrote in message
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On Feb 6, 8:45 am, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
I personally think that scouting is still one of the best ways to
enjoy the times with your children while they learn. They grow up way
too fast.

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Yeah, unless the troop is run by a complete lunatic. I could tell you some
stories....

Matter of fact, two large BSA camps here in NY were run by lunatics.- Hide
quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Oh, yes I agree. Actually when I lived in western NY, my troop was
great, but then I moved to FL. and they ran that thing like a boot
camp. It was incredible, those kids had zero fun. I went for a couple
of months, then slowly dropped off, went back to scouting after
returning to NY.

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This was at the camp near Bristol.

Day #1:

We're told that nobody can wander around camp without a buddy. Good idea.
Kids love to get lost in the woods.

Kids are given swimming tests and told that if they don't pass, they can't
do canoe activities. Good idea. Later, the ones who passed get into canoes,
wearing PDFs, and they play a game which involves knocking kids out of other
canoes using long poles with huge, soft pads on the ends. Great idea. The
kids have a ball.

That night, after dinner, a few kids including my son wanted to fish off the
dock. They even volunteered to wear their PDFs. The staff told them fishing
was not a problem. Me and three other fathers read them the riot act, saying
that if just one of them wasn't paying attention to where their hooks were
while casting, there'd be a review on shore, and since the sun was setting,
"You don't want to waste time with that, right?" They were extremely
careful. We were watching from the shore the entire time. Along comes some
camp soldier and tells us the kids can't fish from the dock because someone
might fall in. Duh. All the kids comment that they'd all passed the swim
test and been through the insane canoe game. This made no impact on the camp
soldier. Since the shoreline was much too weedy, that put an end to fishing.

Day #2:
Kids and dads go to the pellet rifle range. The shooting line is under a
nice shed, but it's crowded. The instructor tells the dads "Ya know, they
actually seem to shoot better without the parents watching." He's right. At
baseball games, if I went to the bathroom, my kid would hit a home run when
I wasn't watching. The dads leave. I unfolded a lounger in front of our tent
and I'm reading a book, while other parents are snoring or showering or
whatever. Along comes another camp soldier. This time, it's a woman, who
reminds me that nobody can "be" anywhere without a buddy. I tell her that
reading isn't a team sport, and I think I'm pretty safe right here in this
lounger. The idiot tells me I have to find a buddy. I tell her "Go get a
book and pull up a chair." She leaves in a huff, and later, our troop
leader, also a woman, attempts to lecture me about how rules is rules. Other
dads got the same lecture, while trying very hard not to laugh.

It became clear that the place was being run by people who couldn't cut it
in church committees. Same with our troop, run by a woman, and a couple of
guys who were afraid of her.

That night, the smoke from the campfire was doing what smoke does - getting
in the kids' eyes. I said to the dad next to me "Time for the smoke
shifter?" He asks the kids "Did any of you remember to bring the smoke
shifter?" Then, to the troop leader, "The troop owns one, right?" She gives
us a clueless look. Perfect. Before she can ask, we tell the kids "Four of
you, take flashlights, stay together on the trails, and go ask some other
gangs if they have an extra smoke shifter you can borrow." Within minutes,
we heard the expected laughter from nearby campfires.

Along comes Ms. Neidermeyer to tell us "You can't have kids wandering around
in the dark like that!" Another dads asks "Did you get lost on the way to
girl scout camp, or what?" Roars of laughter.

Who needs that bull****? We managed these people, but still....