Are Boy Scount Meetings Always Chaotic?

This must have been a pack meeting, right? That's where all the dens come together about once a month. They DO tend to be more chaotic and "fun" for the boys. But the den meetings are more like a Girl Scout meeting, smaller group, all same age, more focused. This is where the boys actually do activities and badge work.
I was a den leader for three years and enjoyed it, my den was never more than 7 or 8 boys and I had a great co leader, but other than the award ceremonies I never really enjoyed the pack meetings, it always felt like we were herding cats!

I am both a cub scout and a girl scout leader. You went to a pack meeting, not a den meeting! Den meetings are were the boys get together to work on activities towards their rank or beltloops, etc. There are usually 8-12 boys per den. Pack meetings are when ALL the dens come together. Each pack runs things differently, but typically news is shared, boys receive any recognitions/advancements and then some fun stuff (i.e. marshmallow guns). The actual den meetings are run a little more like girl scout meetings. Advice having been on both sides: don't compare the two. Boys and girls are different. I could get my 3rd grade girls to sponge paint shirts with little to no mess but there is no way I would let my 4th grade boys loose with paint and sponges!

yee-hah! Yes, pack meetings can be like that. But, then again, our family/friend parties are like that too!

Try a couple more meetings....it should level out. :)

I've been doing Scouts for 20 years....it's a Good Thing.

I'm assuming you went to a pack meeting, where there were multiple age levels in the room all at once. Yes, I hate pack meetings. They are chaotic, the parents spend too much time catching up with each other and not trying to help control the chaos. The den meetings are a little less chaotic - much smaller and more focused. At least you had an organized activity for the boys. Our pack leader uses pack meetings to discuss business with parents and hand out awards, while the boys sit there in their seats, wiggly and bored beyond belief. Let me say again -- I hate pack meetings. But it gets better.

You mentioned that this was your first meeting. Personally, (I am a Bear Leader), it sounds like a rally den meeting to get kids to join and stay in it by showing them a good time. We always have a rally around this time of year & invite kids from all over the place. We always try to plan something fun and crazy but most of the time it scares parents off because it is so crazy. We have one next week & I'm not looking forward to it. Normally, it is pretty calm and they are working on activities at den meetings.

As the mother of two former Cub Scouts I can attest to the fact that Pack meetings cause migraines.

Our Boy Scout meetings are better, but they can be a little crazy sometimes too.

M

Ummm, have you met 6-10 year old boys?

Speaking as a former den leader, you were at a Cub Scout meeting,not Boy Scouts , and yes it sounds like a pack meeting...yes, they can be chaotic...some are more chaotic than others, better organized than others...mine would not have shooting marshmallows about the room -- we'd probably get kicked out of the school that let us use the building...bear in mind, you may opt to go to another pack in town and are not "stuck" with the group your son is now....

That does sound over the top, but yes any group of boys is more chaotic than the same size group of girls. Our Cub Scouts also does meeting in a large space with multiple dens (at the local elementary) which is a boon for mothers of multiple boys. But the meeting aren't that chaotic. Mostly they separate into their dens and do whatever project was planned.

I guess i would ask you have you ever had 60 girls that age all in one room doing an activity? That seems to be the problem.

If they don't have a good ratio of adults to kids and aren't organized enough to break into groups or be told to aim their marshmallows only at a specific target and have rules. then that is one thing, and it might eventually deter me after i tried a few times.

But if it's just more active then I would consider it worth it if it met my kids needs. All kids that age boys or girls like to move around and use their bodies after sitting in school all day. But it's the adults that control it and have paramiters. ( or perimiters or preimeters or promiters or how ever you spell that word for LIMITs.)

There cannot be 60 kids in a den. This was just not a regular meeting of the den right. It was an event of some sort. If these boys are not separated into dens, I would be out of there so fast.

Like people said it's Cub Scouts not Boy Scouts. Cub Scouts are K-5 and then they move on to Boy Scouts. Sounds like a Pack Meeting. They tend to be a little more chaotic but it sounds pretty out of control. The Den leaders should be there to help out and calm kids down. At least that's how our Pack is. Our Cubmaster usually has the kids quiet down and be respectful while he's talking. We talk a lot about respect and values. You have options in terms of packs so you don't have to stay in that pack if you don't like it. Contact someone in the Council to see what other packs are near you.

Lisa:

You went to a Cub Scout meeting - not Boy Scout meeting. It sounds like it was a Pack Meeting and not a Den meeting. if your son is a Tiger Cub - he would be wearing his blue shirt with an orange neckerchief and blue and orange hat. His Den Leader should have had the boys from his/her Den seated at a table or on the floor.

Some Packs are unorganized and chaotic. Ours was somewhat chaotic, but I usually took control and told the boys to sit down at their respective places. Yes, it's supposed to be fun. However, they are there to learn about being prepared, handling things like knives, and so much more...

You need to talk with the Pack Master and tell him or her your concerns. They need to get a grip on the boys, it's NOT a free-for-all - they are there to learn how to be more than just a boy...they are learning to be prepared, react, etc....

Go around to other Packs in your area and see what they do at their meetings. You might have to change Packs.

Good luck!

This meeting will look like a cakewalk compared to the 1st campout you go to.

Not anything like I've ever been to. We have all sorts of meetings and most of the time it's the boys doing their weekly motto's and other stuff. Going over the book and deciding what goals to set.

I wouldn't like chaos but if it was just a party or something then it's going to be like that.

Most boys in a group will feed off each other in their wild animal behaviors. The little ones emulate the bigger ones (and age 8-9 is probably the most rambunctious of all). Yes, it is normal for a group that large to run wild during a fun activity and it's like herding a pascal of cats or gerbils or something to get them all focused on one task.
As others have mentioned, it does sound like it was either a round-up meeting to get new recruits, or a pack meeting. Normally, in small groups they are a little better focused, but if you have some boys who have the attention span of a gnat, they usually disrupt the others.
Have faith - they do grow out of it, some faster than others. There's a world of difference between cub scouts and boy scouts and they do get valuable skills out of the organization.

Cub scouts have den meetings twice a month (4-10 boys same age/grade) and then they have pack meetings once a month with the entire pack (first-fifth grade). So, it sounds like this was a pack meeting.

My son is a Tiger Scout in first grade. Our pack meetings are fairly organized. They all sit in chairs grouped by rank. Their leaders and parents keep them quiet and under control. They hand out awards which takes up most of the time, discuss upcoming events and whatnot. The only time it gets crazy is during 'Pack the Gym Night' which is a once per year event every May. They play games and kind of run wild.

It's too bad that your pack doesn't sound organized. One good thing is that the pack nights are usually optional. I don't go to every one. I take him if his den is doing a skit or the flag ceremony, or if he's been waiting to get a special award (they only give those out at pack night).

Hopefully things will be less chaotic going forward!