A few weeks ago I went to Wood Badge again. This was my third time being on staff and this time I had an easy job--Assistant Scoutmaster over Troop Guides.
The best part of this year's course was that my wife got to go with me. We were a little concerned, starting out because we are expecting a baby soon. We were very blessed, however, in that she was healthy and able to go. In fact, in many ways she felt better at camp than she has at home.
The hard part for me was trying to find the right balance. On the one hand, I knew she would need some specific attention and help with certain things. And I wanted to spend time with her. On the other hand, I wanted her to develop a real, lasting relationship with her patrol members, so I wanted to stay away when I needed to. I hope I hit the right balance. I know she had a good experience, and I now feel as strong an attachment to the Bobwhites as I do the Bears.
She is currently working hard on her ticket and making great progress. She'll probably finish the first of her goals this week and one other one within the next month. The others, of course, will take longer.
I am so grateful that I can do Scouting things with her. It has been really fun to help her with her Webelos den meetings and activities, and we have seen some great things happen with her boys. Two of them will be getting their Webelos badges at Pack meeting this week, and they are so close to earning their Arrow of Light award.
I am so proud of you Christine! You are doing great work.
That is great. My husband was asked to be on staff for ours, but we couldn't make it work, between work and leaving the boys for a week. However, we had several other couples there, so it was a topic in more than one discussion. We had three participants with spouses on staff (I thought that was a pretty big ratio, considering we only had 20 participants) and three more couples on staff, who all had their own stories about going tto wood badge, either both together or one on staff and the other participant. There was a wide variety of experiences, some positive and some negative. I am glad you were able to find a balance and make it work out.
ReplyDeleteGo Bobwhites!
That is awesome and my dream that one day my wife will love Scouting as much as I do. It is awesome that you realized "forming" with her patrol was more important that "forming" with you. Great job!!!
ReplyDeleteIt was one of the best experiences of my life--truly!!!! And I am so glad we were able to share it together. That made it all the better. Thanks for letting me go with you! :)
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