This post is sponsored by Scouting America but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only recommend brands we genuinely love.
"I am the proud belly flop champion of Camp Nash, a Scout camp I attended with my kid a few years back. I’m now retired from flopping, but I learned quite a few lessons from the experience. First, when you do a really good belly flop, it’s best to stop after just one. Second, it’s not just about the splash, but the showmanship before the splash (I wore a cape). Third, Scouting created this moment of connection with my kid. It’s one of my favorite memories. After the resounding crash of my flop, loud enough to scare birds out of trees, I came back up, my stomach and arms on fire from the contact, but the crowd was going crazy. And there in front was my 11-year-old son, laughing and cheering louder than all those around him.
This memory encompasses so much about what makes Scouts special. The connection with my son over something so simple and goofy that it’s a story he still tells as a 17-year-old young man. But it’s not the only thing that’s special about the Scouts. Today, Scouting America offers boys and girls even more skills for the real world beyond making a fire—or winning a belly flop competition. Starting early with Cub Scouts helps kids build leadership skills, learn kindness, experiment with STEM activities, and more. As a Scout dad who’s experienced it, here’s why I recommend it for every kid I know.
Growing real-life connections
One of the often untalked-about benefits of Scouts is not only the connections our kids make, but also the connections we make as adults. Those friendships transcend campfires and continue in the adult world. Not only did we get a chance to see our kids grow together, but we also got to help each other grow as parents. And as I write this article, I’m again shocked by the reminders of the personal relationships I made as well. A friend that I made in Scouts over a decade ago stopped me in the library, and we reminisced about some of our more fond memories.
My friend, Mika, has seen both his boys obtain the rank of Eagle Scout. The oldest is now in college and has found other Scouts there as well to help him with his transition into adulthood. Mika was the uber scout at the time I was enrolled. The guy who helped a young me learn how to tie a square knot and also how to regulate my own emotions to become a better father. I’m surrounded by those guys, even now. In a time where male loneliness can bite away at our souls, I am constantly replenished by those who once cheered for me at a contest at Camp Nash.
“You know,” Mika said, “I’ve made hundreds of connections through Scouts. Dozens of friends. But still, one of the best things is seeing our kids grow into themselves. You build this community of other people who help raise, parent, teach, and coach. And then you see your kids take agency over their lives.”
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Watching kids conquer fears and gain confidence
He was right, too.
Watching our kids grow into themselves is a sentiment that I recognize intimately. By the time my son attended his next level of Scout Camp, Camp Bartle, I witnessed his confidence in himself skyrocket. No longer the quiet kid, he had found his place. There was a science station where he built his own robot, a little car that would go around an enclosed space. My son was excited when he explained the coding to me and how his little robot knew what to do. He didn’t hold himself back, and I got just a glimpse of who he would eventually become.
Scouting provided that opportunity for my son to grow into himself, gain confidence, and build the leadership skills that would extend to his adulthood. He learned adulting skills such as cooking and self-reliance, but also the emotional intelligence to value the relationships around him. These soft skills, the ones that are harder to identify, are invaluable to the man he is becoming.
Building skills that make a life-long impact
Scouting has evolved to much more than building a campfire and learning outdoor skills. Now you can earn Merit Badges in chemistry, engineering, and even nuclear science. Game design and chess are also options, although my son hasn’t beaten me on that last one just yet. He has to earn it, and also, I love playing with him. Modern Scouting is more about fostering a love of learning, regardless of the skill. In a world where changes seem to happen overnight, that love of learning is essential for their future.
But it’s the quiet skills that our children will learn that will truly open their future. Dramatic unkindness seems to surround us at times. It’s loud and boisterous and makes for a great headline. However, quiet kindness, the essential quality that exists when we are at our best, is there. It’s just harder to find.
Scouting helps our children look beyond bolded headlines that seem to scream and serve as a counterbalance. It teaches our young men and women to connect to their community and to be the kindness that the world needs. By building animal beds for a local shelter or creating a new children’s hub, our sons and daughters learn the value in themselves by giving to others. They don’t have to look for kindness because they have become what they seek.
I am forever glad that I started my son early in Scouts. It was at a Cub Scout meeting where we learned to tie his shoes together. As he grew, we took on new challenges, such as building rockets or learning about the ecosystem. We had a blast as he earned his Merit Badges, and gradually, I stood back and just observed the person he was becoming. That foundation of starting so early allowed him to grow into the tall young man he is today. At almost 6 feet, he’s still growing, and I can still see the boy in him who was excited his dad won the bellyflop competition. That same smile on his face and the same pride in my heart coexist.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shannon Carpenter, Contributing Writer
Shannon Carpenter has been a stay-at-home dad since 2008. He is also a humor writer trained through the famous Second City and the author of The Ultimate Stay-at-Home Dad. Whether writing social satire or parenting essays, he is always able to find your funny bone and leave you with a lasting impression.
This post is sponsored by Scouting America but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only recommend brands we genuinely love.