Parent Coaching and Scouting

Prepared. For Life.
Parent Coaching

Prepared. For Life.
Parent Coaching
What’s wrong with these scenes???
• Scoutmaster Steve – I’ve gone over all the requirements with
AJ, so please sign his book for me so he can be promoted to
tenderfoot.
• Scoutmaster Steve – I’ve coached Isaac on all the requirements
for his merit badge, so please sign his blue card so he can get
his badge.
• Scoutmaster Steve – Timmy needs to be promoted to 2nd class.
He has been a tenderfoot for three months, and that’s getting
off our schedule.
NOTHING….. For a Cub Scout

Prepared. For Life.
Parent Coaching
• It takes a few years but that gawky 11-year-old
becomes a responsible young man when Scout
parents cooperate with the process.
• Parents have to let their son and his buddies
figure things out.
– If a new Scout packs his own pack he’ll forget something and maybe be
a little uncomfortable but he will learn more from forgetting than he will if
parents pack his bag for him. What he learns from that process is one
step closer to the broader goal.
• At first this may seem a little harsh or make a parent feel that they
are not being responsible and that’s an uncomfortable feeling for
most of us.

Prepared. For Life.
Parent Coaching
• Step back, be supportive, understanding,
and cooperate with the process. Look for teachable
moments and help their Scouts figure out what to do
next not by supplying answers but by asking questions.
• The Scouting process is purposefully designed to be
challenging and every Scout (and Scout parent) will
experience frustration or discouragement from time to
time.
• Embrace the challenge, the chaos
• Take the inefficient, frustrating moments and turn them
to your advantage to help our scouts achieve the
broader scout goals.

Prepared. For Life.
Parent Coaching
The Broader Scout Goals
• Ideals—spelled out in the Scout Oath, the Scout Law, the
Scout motto, and the Scout slogan.
• Patrol Method—Patrols are small groups of Scouts who
camp together, cook together, play together, and learn
together.
• Outdoor Programs—Boy Scouting is designed to take
place outdoors. We camp. We hike. We get dirty.
• Advancement—Boy Scouting has a system of ranks in
which Scouts learn progressively more difficult skills
and take on progressively greater responsibilities.
• Advancement—Boy Scouting has a system of ranks in
which Scouts learn progressively more difficult skills
and take on progressively greater responsibilities.

Prepared. For Life.
Parent Coaching
• Personal Growth—As Boy Scouts plan their activities and
progress toward their goals. Boys grow as they participate in
community service projects and do Good Turns for others.
• Leadership Development—The Boy Scout program
encourages boys to learn and practice leadership skills. Every
Boy Scout has the opportunity to lead in
some way.
• Uniform—Like most sports teams, Boy Scouts
wear a uniform. Like most sports teams, we
expect our Scouts to wear the uniform when they
are doing Scouting, and to wear it properly. It is
a symbol of who we are and what we do.

Prepared. For Life.
Parent Coaching
• Boy Scouting is different than Cubs and most youth
organizations.
• In Boy Scouting, the role of the boys is to have fun
activities and generate achievements. The role of the
adults is not the destination, but the journey. Our
responsibility as adults is to promote the "process" of
Scouting. What is important is:
– Not the food on the campout, but that the boys cooked it.
– Not a sharp-looking flag ceremony, but that the boys put it together.
– Not who would make the best patrol leader, but that the boys elect one.
– Not that Johnny learns first aid, but that Billy teaches him.
– Not that we cover everything on the meeting agenda, but that the senior
patrol leader is in charge.

Prepared. For Life.
Parent Coaching
• Our goal is not to get things done, but to create a
safe and healthy environment with the training and
resources that the Scouts need, and then let them
do it. It can be a very messy business, and painful
to watch. Meetings where the boy leaders are in
charge can be very chaotic.
• It can be very tempting for adults to jump in and
sort things out, because that is what adults do.
But the boys then learn that mom and dad will
continue to do everything for them

Prepared. For Life.
Parent Coaching
To be a good Boy Scout Parent --- be a hiking stick.
• Hiking sticks come in many different styles, from the plain
dead branch you just found in the woods to carved and
decorated staffs to high-tech aluminum models with
spring-loaded tips.
• A good hiking stick is a pretty handy thing to have when
you're out walking in the country. Regardless of the type of
stick or what they look like, they all do pretty much the
same three things.
• When you are going uphill, particularly if it is steep and
rocky, the hiking stick can be a big help. You plant that
stick in front of you, and you can use your arms to help
pull you up the hill—you don't have to rely on just your
legs.

Prepared. For Life.
Parent Coaching
• When you are going downhill, particularly if it is steep
and rocky, the hiking stick can really help you. You plant
that stick in front of you, and it helps you keep your
balance, takes a little of the weight off your knees, and
gives you that little bit of extra support you need.
• And when you're walking on the flat, well, the hiking
stick is just a welcome companion on the trail.
• Yep, many good Scouts have a hiking stick.
• Notice that the hiking stick didn’t pull the scout up the
hill or carry him down. It gave him support so he could
do it himself!
• And just as a Scout should have a hiking stick to help
support him on his journey, he must have adults who
support him on his journey through Scouting.

Prepared. For Life.
Parent Coaching
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Parent Coaching and Scouting

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