The things I learned by scouting with my son
If you expect to read about Boy Scouts of America’s political stance on anything, this is not the column. OK, I’ll make one brief political statement at the end, so skip down if you must.
Meanwhile, if you have a boy in elementary school, and if sometimes you’re bewildered about raising a New Millennium son, read on.
My son (who I’ll call DK — short for Dances with Keyboard) is the youngest in a blended family. He has three older siblings, all girls.
Nine years ago, when we joined Cub Scouts, I admit I didn’t know what to expect. My initial goals were to expose DK to outdoor activities and guy-to-guy socializing after school at den meetings. I thought we might end up going camping. (Did we ever! Rain or shine.)
Over time, I learned some things about scouting that I loved.
At first, it might seem like scouting asks a lot from parents. After some private kicking and screaming, I became a den leader, because we needed one. Then I had to go to an official training, which seemed like a bureaucratic imposition. After the training, I was humbled and grateful, because I felt more prepared to lead den meetings.
I had a fear of