The Daily Flag

It’s been over twenty years since I was a Boy Scout Scoutmaster, but I learned a few lessons during that time that have stayed with me. The impact of positive male role models upon a young boy was the first.

Troop 404, in the early 80s, regularly had twenty or so boys involved in the program. Over half of those boys did not have a father living in the same home. A few boys were what I’d call rough, but they were good boys.

Over time I realized that the only men some of these boys interacted with regularly were the four or five adult men who volunteered with the troop. For the men, our positive attitude and commitment to the boys was all-important. I learned a lot about boys growing into men back then.

Here are 50 things I learned that boys need.

1. Boys need some space
2. Boys need boundaries
3. Boys need boundaries enforced
4. Boys need to roughhouse
5. Boys need supervision
6. Boys need to know they are important
7. Boys need to know they are loved
8. Boys need to learn manners
9. Boys need to learn skills for life
10. Boys need to play with snakes (and other reptiles)
11. Boys need positive feedback
12. Boys need hugs
13. Boys need mental strength
14. Boys need physical activity
15. Boys need to learn compassion
16. Boys need good friends
17. Boys need solid adults to count on
18. Boys need to cook outdoors
19. Boys need to throw rocks into a stream
20. Boys need to hike and fish
21. Boys need reliability
22. Boys need purpose
23. Boys need comic books
24. Boys need adventure
25. Boys need their imagination stretched
26. Boys need infinite possibilities
27. Boys need to see stars by a campfire
28. Boys need to break the rules
29. Boys need to understand consequences
30. Boys need to run
31. Boys need responsibility
32. Boys need to explore
33. Boys need to learn finance
34. Boys need to learn about God
35. Boys need to learn history
36. Boys need respect
37. Boys need secrets
38. Boys need to learn to spit
39. Boys need to learn to whistle
40. Boys need each other
41. Boys need positive male role models
42. Boys need loving mothers
43. Boys need belonging
44. Boys need attention
45. Boys need to sleep in a sleeping bag
46. Boys need to learn how to tie knots
47. Boys need to understand about oaths (like the Scout oath)
48. Boys need discipline
49. Boys need to be boys
50. Boys need to grow into men

Tags: Boy Scouts, What boys need