ON Being Our Kid's Best Example

Parenting becomes a completely different creature when you have teenagers. Much less of your time is spent on the physical needs of your children; they are now old enough to make themselves a sandwich or wash a favorite shirt if they need it the next day. They no longer need constant supervision. All these things add up to a tremendous return of free time to pursue interests that are personally enriching .

Yet some of the most important lessons we can teach them are during these years. The shift toward character building is a big one in our home, and thus far, we have been doing a solid job. Our kids understand a great deal more of the "big picture" than most. They realize they are not the center of the universe, but have a duty to others and the planet.

Last night was a court of honor with BuzzBoy's boy scout troop. He has been really blessed to be surrounded by a phenomenal group of leaders for the last three years, and he has had some fabulous experiences and made great friends. This troop is amazing in that 50% of its scouts become Eagle. That is an almost unheard of percentage, but shows how strong adult leadership develops strong youth.

Right now, five of his buddies are all working on their Eagle projects. Which means that every weekend day from now until Thanksgiving he is expected to volunteer time, doing physical labor trying to help other scouts reach their goal. Three of the five are good friends and I know he will eagerly step in. The other two are difficult teens, but the duty to help is the same. He and the others will all be expected to give a few hours to help them as well because it is the right thing to do. I sat proudly knowing that as a parent, I knew he knew this without being reminded.

Later in the evening, I learned that the leadership within the troop was facing a tough time. Two parents who had been extremely active for years will be leaving the country in January and moving to Germany. The ScoutMaster will be undergoing a serious back surgery, and will be out of commission for months. They had just lost two assistant leaders last June when their boys graduated. And BuzzBoy is entering his last and most crucial year and a half in scouting.

I knew that I had to step up and be an example of the ethics I have been preaching to my kids. This is a great program, but like any is only as strong as the leadership involved. I spoke to the new committee chair, a quiet yet organized man who I have worked well with on various committees, and asked him where he could use me most. He was greatly relieved, mentioning that he feared he would have little help when he took on the leadership, and spoke specifically about two openings.

Of the two jobs, I selected to step in as troop training officer, because it entails simple record keeping and organizing of leadership training throughout hte year. THe only project is planning a one day Junior leadershp training event for the scouts each December. The timing works well with my co-op activities, yet meets a critical need to ensure the troop continues its charter.

When BuzzBoy walked up and overheard the conversation, he seemed quite surprised. In the past, I have only helped on specific events in minimal capacity. He gave me a questioning look, and I simply said, "Because it is the right thing to do."

This choice, this example of putting my beliefs into action, will do more toward character training than a dozen lectures on its' virtues.