I know sometimes it is way to easy for the parents to drop the boys off at the Den meeting and have them say "Don't worry we will be back in time" just to find they are a half an hour late.  We as the Adult Leaders need to train and engage the parents so they stay and we don't get frustrated and turned into babysitters.

First, we need to train them from their son's first year as a Cub Scout that they need to be there.  We need to insist they stay and that we run our meetings on time from start to finish, so they understand we respect their time and they need to respect our time.  We also need to communicate that it is important to their son's that they stay and see what they are doing in the Den Meeting.

Second, we need to engage them with being responsible for different parts of the Den Meeting.  Find out what their special skills or hobbies are and try to apply them to different parts of the Cub Scouting year at the Den Meeting level.  Do you have a parent who teaches music, they are great for teaching the boys songs that can be counted as electives.

I understand there are situations where it is not possible, but where it is possible your parents are a resource you can use to make your job as an Adult Leader easier and let the parent shine in the eyes of their son.

Yours in Scouting, ptsteve

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Parent Involvement
@Frank Maynard on 04/02/2012

Good advice fir Cub parents, but remember to start "re-training" them for Boy Scouts during the Webelos years. Good Scouts sometimes don't cross over because of the parents who don't understand the changes in the adult role.