Boy Scouts Big and Small

Darren has begun a Boy Scout Troop for the boys in the area. Caleb and another boy are too young to be scouts, but they are working toward that goal. They are Weebeloes (the level below boy scouts for those who are as unfamiliar as I am about the boy scout ranks), and they learn and participate in the activities right along side the other boys. Josh is old enough to be a full member and is eagerly learning and participating.

Although they weren't sure how many other boys would be interested, Darren started the troop as an educational, extracurricular activity for the boys and so that part of his "busy-ness" would be specifically focused on spending time with Josh and Caleb. Since laying the groundwork and starting the meetings, the troop has grown to 8-10 scouts and 4 enthusiastic dads.

There is one boy, however, who would love to join but can't - Nathan. He can barely say "weebeloe" but he wants to be one. His voice squeaks with excitement each time the scout stuff comes out or a troop meeting begins. "Oh, sure!" he'd say if the invitation were given for him to join them, but he still has a couple years to go. So instead, he sits as close to the open door as he can or stands on the kitchen counter near the window, listening and watching. He wanted his own flag to wave around after watching the troop salute and pledge. Since we didn't have an actual flag he could have, I taped a flag napkin to a broken broom handle, and to him, it couldn't have been more authentic.