So how is Scouting seen nowadays? Does being a Scout necessarily equal being a geek?
My thirteen year old son has been attending a boarding school. To make a long story short, he was having trouble entering adolescence and we were unable to provide him with the help that he needed. In many ways the boarding school has been a great experience. He has learned horsemanship as a part of the curriculum, and at least twice a month they go camping, whitewater rafting or rope climbing. The school places an emphasis on moral guidance and leadership, and it is amazing how much my son has matured during his stay.
My son is at least halfway through his stay, and I am beginning to look for what will carry him after he comes home. I think that Scouting could be a natural thing for him. Everything that he has done at school is also emphasized in Scouting. I was a Scout in the '70s and I know that when it works it can be a great way to help kids grow up.
So that said, how is Scouting seen nowadays? We’re living in Austin, Tx and there’s a real emphasis place on being hip. Scouting may be great, but I’m concerned that it will be seen by his friends as being a very uncool thing to do. So what has been your recent experiences with it?
(For what it’s worth, my other son is in Cub Scouts. They don;t worry about looking cool, but we avoided any worries about geekiness by making tie dye t-shirts to wear as uniforms.)