Scouting's Ladder

When you have a good program, boys seem to come out of the woodwork, but without parent’s help they are unlike to succeed. Leaders can only take up so much slack. There are very few self-starters in this world — but there are a lot of young men that, with a little encouragement from the right persons, are ready to excel. Parents need only pick up and read their son’s handbook to see where their help is needed, it may be transportation to a meeting, an opportunity to learn a new skill, or even a family activity in which badge work has been included.

You could say that scouting is like a ladder into society; the first two years in Cubbing are done in the home, with parents signing off the badge work; the next two years, the Webelos and New Scout Patrol years, are done in the neighborhood with the leaders signing the badges. The next years are done in the community with Merit Badge Councilors, with badge work reviewed by a committee.

This is why Eagle Scouts are so good at striking out on their own. They have been away from home before, they are prepared to deal with a lack of things, and are generally able to cope with the unexpected without help from their parents. They have moved away from having decisions made for them and into making decisions for them selves. They have the skills to “launch from the nest.”