A new Cub Scout

I have heard for a while now, “When can I join Cub Scouts?”

At the schools, they start hounding the kids about Cub Scouts early in the school year, so those of us that have children with boys whose birthdays fall later in the year, we really hear about it until their birthday comes around. I have actually been hearing about this for over a year now. Why? They start recruiting at the elementary school when the kids are seven years old. When they are old enough to start as Tiger Cubs.

At church, however, they do not do Tiger Cubs. They start when they are eight years old. That does not seem like much of a difference, but when you are the mother listening to the potential Cub Scout whine about how he wants to start Cub Scouts it feels like an eternity.

Lance turned eight this past Sunday. Today he gets to join Cub Scouts. This meant that I needed to acquire all the usual garb from the Scout Shop. Fortunately, we have one that is fairly close. Unfortunately, it is close enough that I have spent a fair amount of change in there. Actually I bought Lance’s jeans in there for school this year because they were on sale 50% off which made them cheaper than at the retail stores. With three boys, there is just no way around visiting the Scout Shop.

Today I went and purchased Lance’s uniform pieces. I still had some pieces remaining from the older boys. I had handed down the shirt and neckerchief to Lance’s cousin while he and his family was living with us, but it was showing its age and wear and tear. My sister said that she was not sure she could get all the patches back off the shirt easily. I decided it was time to just go purchase one and make my son a happy boy. This evening was his first Cub Scout Den meeting and while I told him he would probably not have his uniform, I knew what would make him a happy boy.

Since I was going to have to go to the store to get his book anyway, I might as well just go ahead and commit all the way. One trip. I grabbed one of his larger t-shirts so I would have something to size his shirt against since I did not have his body to try the shirt on and I wandered down to the store.

 Of course this would also mean that I would have a fun or not so fun (however you look at it) task of sewing on all the patches. Not to sweat it, after sewing patches on as many shirts and sashes as I have done to date, I have gotten this down to a fine art. While not exactly fun, it does not take me very long to sew them on these days.

Lance was very happy to see his new Cub Scout shirt. He was ready to put it on and head out the door to his very first Cub Scout Den meeting. He was so excited.

His very first meeting was a field trip. How lucky do you get? They went to the Veterans Memorial that is near here. He came home raving about how much fun according to his father.