Going to a summer camp is something that most of us remember all of our lives. The friends that you meet and make, the fun things that you got to do and the experiences that you have all make a lasting impression on our minds. I remember going to a Boy Scout camp and spending a fun week there. One of the strongest memories of that event is on the next-to-last night that we were there, it was thunder storming quite hard and the lights were flickering on and off. It didn’t seem quite so scary because we were all together with our friends, and we had flashlights just in case the lights did go out and stay out. Running from the dining hall back to the dormitory quarters, we got soaked even though we were racing each other. It was all good and all a fun time, spent together that week a long time ago at a summer camp.
Childhood friendships are some of the best you’ll ever have
Looking back, it almost seems as if it were easier to make friends as a child than it is as an adult… Living next door, or across the street, having a cool place to hang out or some fun toys to share was all it took to become good friends. Today I wonder if the proliferation of video gaming and social media makes it harder or easier to make real-life friendships. As a youngster, I had plenty of friends to get together with during the summer and play kick the can down at the neighbor's open lot, but I know that my grandson enjoys playing video games online with several of his friends. And my grandson’s friends don’t necessarily have to be next door they may be on the other side of town because with the Internet distance has no meaning.
Another way children can make friends is through participating in scouting. Children form friendships by working and learning together as they sell cookies or work on merit badges. Coming together each week for a den or pack meeting builds friendships as the boys and girls spend time together in a positive safe environment. Even though a child may not have many friends when they start scouting, it won’t take long before they have new scout friends. And who knows these friendships may last for the rest of their lives.
I learned a song when I was a young boy in Cub Scouts. We used to sing it together as a round, a couple of us would start and then a couple more would join in until we worked our way through the song. It was fun to sing. I came across a newer version of this song that I would like to share with you.
Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, the other is gold. A circle is round, it has no end. That's how long, I will be your friend.A fire burns bright, it warms the heart. We've been friends, from the very start. You have one hand, I have the other. Put them together, We have each other.Silver is precious, Gold is too. I am precious, and so are you. You help me, and I'll help you and together we will see it through. The sky is blue The Earth is green I can help to keep it clean. Across the land Across the sea Friends forever We will always be.
Taken from: https://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/makenewfriends.html