Thoughtful Thursday

I am a Scout mom. I am a Scout wife. I have a Scout calling. I wear a brown shirt. It has patches on it. I go to Scout meetings. I go to Roundtable. (Not always with a happy face, but I still go.) I did not plan on being one of those "Scout people." I grew up with girls. When our only brother was old enough to participate in Scouts, I was married and out of the house. As a young mother, the thought of a Cub Scout calling terrified me. And the notion that I would someday work with the Boy Scouts was inconceivable. But I married a Scout guy. And I had three boys. My fate was sealed. I knew from the moment they placed that first baby boy in my arms that Scouts would be a part of my life. It was only a matter of time. And let me be the first to say that I love it. And this is why.

My boys are growing into fairly fine men, thanks in part, to the principles taught in Scouts. Last Sunday, a member of our ward bore his testimony of the Scouting program. He said that during a lesson in the Deacons quorum (12-13 year old boys) the boys were asked to identify the qualities that they would value in a future wife. Now if you've spent any time with 12 and 13 year old boys, you know that this is the type of question that results in a lot of goofy posture, goofy looks, and goofy comments. But amidst the goofiness, the qualities that they listed were these: someone who is trustworthy, someone who is loyal, helpful, courteous, kind, cheerful, reverent...you get the idea. Because this is the law that they recite each time they go to a Scout meeting.

A Scout is:

Trustworthy,

Loyal,

Helpful,

Friendly,

Courteous,

Kind,

Obedient,

Cheerful,

Thrifty,

Brave,

Clean,

Reverent

That is what I love about Scouting. Those are the qualities that I want my boys to value in themselves and others. That is why I wear the brown shirt, and even tuck it in.