Dear Pack 14:
At the Halloween Party there was a bit of a squabble regarding "who was first" in the line for the food and one of the boys took a REAL pocketknife from his pocket, opened it up (so the blade was out) and held it up in front of him, at another boy, apparently in a "threatening" way so he could take that place ahead in line.
Who did it, and who was involved, is not my primary concern (although I do believe it needs to be addressed specifically and individually, in addition to the whole pack). Please note, I do not know who else, if anyone, witnessed this specific incident. Nor am I sure that nothing else occurred with any other pack members. This is all the information I have at this time.
First of all, I am relieved nobody was physically hurt. Now, how we as "leaders/parents and good citizens" seize this incident as an example and opportunity for our children to learn from is the issue. After all, if we don't teach our boys & guide them properly, at every step of the way, then what are we here for? Furthermore, we need to define what the organization CUB/BOY SCOUTS is really all about. Although this incident involved only 2 of the scouts, I believe it is relevant to everyone and warrants the support of the pack on how best to intervene. I request that you consider the situation and the following that I feel are the main issues:
How does the pack want to handle this issue?
At the Halloween Party there was a bit of a squabble regarding "who was first" in the line for the food and one of the boys took a REAL pocketknife from his pocket, opened it up (so the blade was out) and held it up in front of him, at another boy, apparently in a "threatening" way so he could take that place ahead in line.
Who did it, and who was involved, is not my primary concern (although I do believe it needs to be addressed specifically and individually, in addition to the whole pack). Please note, I do not know who else, if anyone, witnessed this specific incident. Nor am I sure that nothing else occurred with any other pack members. This is all the information I have at this time.
First of all, I am relieved nobody was physically hurt. Now, how we as "leaders/parents and good citizens" seize this incident as an example and opportunity for our children to learn from is the issue. After all, if we don't teach our boys & guide them properly, at every step of the way, then what are we here for? Furthermore, we need to define what the organization CUB/BOY SCOUTS is really all about. Although this incident involved only 2 of the scouts, I believe it is relevant to everyone and warrants the support of the pack on how best to intervene. I request that you consider the situation and the following that I feel are the main issues:
- the misuse of a tool; using a knife as a weapon
- the rules regarding tools at cub scout events, as defined by the Boy Scouts of America Council and defined by Pack 14
- the bullying implied by this behavior (i.e., threatening in order to get something)
How does the pack want to handle this issue?
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