Obviously, on the day your son was born, his umbilical cord was cut. But was completely cut?
Even for those boys who progressed all the way through cub scouts, for many parents, it is a difficult task to cut the emotional cord once they enter boy scouts. That’s ok, it’s a common occurrence, so there is no shame.
The older our kids get, we fight for their dependence on us just as hard as they fight for their independence. It is a logical conclusion that releasing control to let them go off and do things on their own would be difficult. Be brave; you can do it.
Oh, and dare I say it, regardless of the cute little cartoon you just chuckled at, this isn’t just a ‘mommy’ thing. Not even close.
In our troop, the first couple of campouts are spent each year reminding scouters and parents alike of the patrol method and how it has to be respected from both directions. The leaders, literally, draw lines in the sand to remind the scouts to ask for permission to enter. The fun part is that the SPL has always drawn his own line and the young scouts, in response to being turned away gleefully deny our entry. Granted, they don’t realize we’ll go over there, without a real need, to give them that reinforcement.
We’ve had parents actually turn their back on their son to resist answering him. We’ve had parents say this is the best thing ever, being able to let someone else tell their son to take their (non critical) issue to the scout campsite. Others occassionally struggle with it, but eventually, those parents become some of the best advocates to the system.
Hang tough parents. you, and your son will be stronger without that heavy cord holding them back.
