- Outhouse contests: (You sure you want to know?) Boys of higher ages encouraging boys of lower ages to drop larger and larger rocks down the outhouse hole until, finally, the glorious brown splash is produced and said younger boys realize why it's not such a fun activity after all.
- Pyromania.
- Swearing.
- Guns. In the hands of 12-year olds.
- Nicknames: some nice, some not as nice. (Nathan earned the nickname "Hawaii 5-0" for the shell necklace he wore, as well as his very cool demeanor. So he says.)
- Food fights.
The result? It truly is a mystery, but somehow, this recipe managed to produce:
- 6 merit badges
- slightly increased responsibility
- a healthy sense of independence
- a growing faith
Another glaring difference between Girl's camp and Scout camp is the number of shower and clothing changes that happen at both. Last year at Girl's camp I recall seeing several young women who had 2-3 clothing changes a day and were loath to miss a shower. My Ethan, on the other hand, had several items of clean clothes still neatly folded and untouched on the bottom of his backpack. And showers? I'm guessing there was one, but only to make myself feel better.
ReplyDeleteSo true. That was one smelly pile of socks that came home. There was one pair that went directly to the garbage.
ReplyDeleteSo now that it has been 30 years (yes I know, Natalie is getting older), I will report that when I was 12, the older scouts hooked up Eddie Bateman by his belt loop and ran him up the flagpole. Funny? Yes, until his belt loop broke about ten feet off the ground.
ReplyDeleteSince I'm not your mother (nor Eddie's), this doesn't have much of an effect on me. Does YOUR mother know?
ReplyDeleteBe sure to ask Erik about the Bathroom Bandit, or the Moon Bather or Pine Cone fights or Pedals Around the Rose or...
ReplyDelete