Those 11 years were not all bad. It was during that time that I became involved in Scouting. It began one day when my son brought home a flier from school inviting parents and boys to attend a recruiting meeting that evening. Although I was not a Boy Scout, I always wanted to be. I lived in a community that did not have scouting, but my father had a Boy Scout Handbook from when he was a child. I read it and memorized the Pledge, Motto, Slogan, and Laws. I went on hikes with my friends. I learned as much as I could about the natural world around me and how to survive in it. However, on that afternoon in early fall when my son brought me the flier, I was not sure I wanted to get involved. My son talked about going camping, shooting a bow and arrow, and hiking with so much excitement that I gave in to his request.
That night went well and my son joined Pack 18 as a Tiger Scout. Unfortunately, that is as far as it went. For several months all that we did was go to the monthly Pack meetings. Finally, I volunteered to lead the Tigers… and the Bobcats… and then Bear… and then Webelos… and somewhere in there I also became Pack Committee Chairman. I eventually became Packmaster. I did this in great part because I wanted my son to have a good, fun, and healthy experience in scouting. However, it was just as good an experience of me as it was for my son or for all the boys I influenced during those years.
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