This year, my son decided to join Cub Scouts instead of sports. As my husband works long hours, I approached this new development with trepidation. My sister and I went through Girl Scouts with my mom as our troop leader. An all female environment.
Cub Scouts wasn’t exclusively male when we walked into our first meeting, but women were outnumbered about 10 to 1. Working and volunteering in solely female environments has been my lifetime experience, so I viewed all that testosterone with quite a few nerves.
But my Little Man wanted to do this, so I sucked it up and viewed it as an adventure. Boy, did I learn a lot. :)
--A chance to study males interacting with other males, from youth to adults, was eye-opening…and a little disturbing. Did you know that men can be even bigger gossips than women? At least, here in the south they are. Overhearing these conversations is both surprising and amusing – I’ve learned the full dish on so-and-so’s ex-wife, parents-in-law, and mutual friends.
--They really do care more about sports than I can fathom, and can talk about it for longer than I care to listen. But I guess I’m the same about writing (which I think is way more important), so I shouldn’t judge. Except when they talk over the den leader in their eagerness to argue stats. You’re adults for goodness sake! Be quiet.
--Putting on those uniforms can give both boys and men a whole new demeanor. They stand a little straighter, hold their heads higher, and get a whole aura of importance. I’m glad my son can experience that pride at his age. I think it helps boys grow into men who understand what they are capable of, what they can aspire to.
--These men tend to view this strange woman who spends the meetings writing in a notebook (when they don’t need me for something) as an alien to be avoided. That probably isn’t helped by the fact that they all know each other, and I know none of them except 1.
--We all know what a planner I am, and the lack of forethought put into the activities just about kills me. I get no notice of upcoming activities, no information about district events or camps, and it took over a month to get emails from anyone. If I was in charge… But I’m not gonna be! I downsized, remember? Not happening. So I suck it up and try not to complain…okay, maybe every once in a while.
Yep, its been an adventure. I’ve learned a lot more about boys and men and how they behave in groups. Hopefully, it will make my heroes that much more interesting, and help me as a mother to learn my about son.
Cub Scouts wasn’t exclusively male when we walked into our first meeting, but women were outnumbered about 10 to 1. Working and volunteering in solely female environments has been my lifetime experience, so I viewed all that testosterone with quite a few nerves.
But my Little Man wanted to do this, so I sucked it up and viewed it as an adventure. Boy, did I learn a lot. :)
--A chance to study males interacting with other males, from youth to adults, was eye-opening…and a little disturbing. Did you know that men can be even bigger gossips than women? At least, here in the south they are. Overhearing these conversations is both surprising and amusing – I’ve learned the full dish on so-and-so’s ex-wife, parents-in-law, and mutual friends.
--They really do care more about sports than I can fathom, and can talk about it for longer than I care to listen. But I guess I’m the same about writing (which I think is way more important), so I shouldn’t judge. Except when they talk over the den leader in their eagerness to argue stats. You’re adults for goodness sake! Be quiet.
--Putting on those uniforms can give both boys and men a whole new demeanor. They stand a little straighter, hold their heads higher, and get a whole aura of importance. I’m glad my son can experience that pride at his age. I think it helps boys grow into men who understand what they are capable of, what they can aspire to.
--These men tend to view this strange woman who spends the meetings writing in a notebook (when they don’t need me for something) as an alien to be avoided. That probably isn’t helped by the fact that they all know each other, and I know none of them except 1.
--We all know what a planner I am, and the lack of forethought put into the activities just about kills me. I get no notice of upcoming activities, no information about district events or camps, and it took over a month to get emails from anyone. If I was in charge… But I’m not gonna be! I downsized, remember? Not happening. So I suck it up and try not to complain…okay, maybe every once in a while.
Yep, its been an adventure. I’ve learned a lot more about boys and men and how they behave in groups. Hopefully, it will make my heroes that much more interesting, and help me as a mother to learn my about son.