Scouting Out The Helpers

I volunteer as a Cub Scout leader for my son’s troop, a group of eight boys about nine years old — volunteer, as in Nobody Gets Paid For Doing This. We have a lot of fun meetings, trying to earn various badges, and the boys always have a good time.

At the end of one meeting, a father comes into my home to pick up his son, instead of the boy’s mother, who has always picked up her son in the past. 

I introduce myself to the father.

Father: *Angrily* “When are they going camping?! I thought scouting was all about camping!”

Me: “We would really like to do that. We were hoping to go camping this spring.”

Father: *Still angry* “They should have gone camping a dozen times by now! Why aren’t they going camping all the time?!”

Me: *Fake excited* “Oh, my goodness, are you volunteering to organize a camping trip?! The boys will be so excited! What date are you thinking, and where do you think we should go?”

He literally recoils, stepping back two paces. 

Father: “Well, uh, well…”

Me: “The other leaders and I all have jobs, and it takes time to plan the meetings and do the activities. It is so nice that you are willing to do this for the boys.”

Father: “[Son], come on. Your mom is waiting for us,”

And he practically ran out the door.

We did manage to have a couple of family camping trips with the troop. It was no surprise that this dad offered zero help with planning and did not attend.