At first this one felt like a cheat, but the more I thought about it the more I realized it wasn't.Today (with a whole bunch of help from my wife) I took about 30 Cub Scouts and families on a 17 mile bike ride down the Virginia Creeper Trail for a two-night camping trip in the mountains. I think everybody had a great time. The leaves were gorgeous, the weather was fantastic, the kids all did great, and nobody got hurt or lost, so we'll call that a big success.
The reason I say it felt like a cheat is because when you sign up for any kind of leadership role in Cub Scouts or other activities, leading events like this comes with the territory. It's part of the "job."
But as I thought about it, I started thinking about all the parents out there who do this kind of thing all the time. Scout leaders and PTA leaders and youth coaches and team managers and band parents and chaperones and proctors and on and on. All these people are doing things for us and for our kids day after day, without pay. And most of them are happy to do it or they wouldn't be there.
Whether it's buying food, hauling gear, coordinating paperwork and payments, organizing receipts or schedules, planning, making phone calls, sending emails, figuring out deadlines, taking time off work, rearranging their own lives for the benefit of the group, fronting cash or even paying for things outright.... There's a lot to appreciate.
Because of the nature of my life and my family circumstances, my own commitments are sporadic. I can take the lead on a meeting or an event from time to time, but I can't do it on a day-to-day basis. As a result, I know first hand what it takes to pull off a successful activity or outing, but fact that I don't do it all the time makes me appreciate the "regulars" who do this stuff day after day, week after week, month after month.
Take a minute to think about those folks. Maybe just drop them a quick thank you email, or say something next time you see them.
not a cheat. not even close! although i was fortunate enough to have a job where i could slip out for a couple hours in the afternoon to be a room mother, or a half day to go along as chaperone on a school field trip, i knew there were plenty of parents who would have loved to do it but didn't have that luxury. pulling a weekend out of your life - given all the extra special challenges you are juggling? that's a big deal. and i have no doubt it was appreciated!
ReplyDeleteNot a cheat at all! Thanks so much for all of your work to make the pack go!
ReplyDeleteYeah I tend to think of this project as being about doing "extra" stuff, or going out of my way to do stuff. But in reality, this still fits. And plus it gave me an excuse to gush about all the other people who go above and beyond all the time. (Like Tim for example!) However much credit we give people who do this stuff, I feel like it should be even more.
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