As
a parent, you’re a primary role model for your child. Scouting provides
a time-tested structure that helps bond parent/child development
through group and individual activities, recognition, and advancement.
Your son needs your encouragement, guidance, and participation along
his Scouting path.
Adult
role models in Scouting provide an ideal learning experience for all
youth. Every adult volunteer has something valuable to offer. On a
typical weekend campout, a Scout might work with an adult volunteer who
teaches the fishing merit badge, with a Scout mom teaching
orienteering, go on a 5-mile hike with another adult leader, and end
the day learning how to clean and cook fresh fish from his dad.
As
your child progresses through the ranks of Scouting, your involvement
and interaction with him will change. Tiger Cub Scouting requires much
closer supervision and guidance on an individual project and activity
level as you “search, discover and share.” As young boys learn to
interact with others, the parent is constant—someone safe to return
to—as they learn and grow in their world.
When
you join the Boy Scouts of America, Scouting is like an extension of
your family: it follows your values, it sees to the overall care and
well-being of your child, and it’s always there for you.
The
safety and protection of your child while involved in any Scouting
activity is the unit leader’s number one priority. For this reason, we
work closely with our chartered organizations to help recruit the best
possible leaders for our units. The BSA also has created extensive
safety and youth protection policies and procedures in two
publications: The Guide to Safe Scouting, which establishes age-appropriate guidelines for all Scouting activities, and How to Protect Your Children from Child Abuse: A Parent’s Guide, an educational exercise and requirement for all Scouts and parents included the youth handbooks.