Sunday, March 11, 2007

Happy Anniversary!

To us! Hubs and I have been married for 28 years, so to celebrate in appropriate style, after I finished selling Girl Scout cookies in the morning, I joined him at our local Boy Scout camp where he was in charge of the troop's Webelos weekend. 15 Boy Scouts (including DS#2) were introducing 30 or so 4th and 5th Grade boys and their parents to what Boy Scouts do. Because our troop is mostly boy-run, there was a lot of chaos.

There was also turkey baked in a (new) garbage can, "sparkling" potatoes, dutch over brownies, enough food for a small army, and a lot of laughing, chatting and talking. DD#2 came with me--she actually chose to! I didn't quite understand why until I saw her hanging out with some of the boys (hmmm... should I begin to worry?) and with one of her buddies from Girl Scouts. She also spent a lot of time with her brother (okay, maybe I won't worry).

DD#2 and I stayed until campfire was over. I'm glad we did. DS#2 spent last summer working at the Boy Scout Resident Camp and has learned a few things, like how to lead a campfire program. This was the first chance to see him lead songs, getting the audience involved--which means he had to cut loose and go over the top. He also doesn't have a bad singing voice, compared to the rest of the gang.

DS#2 has gone from being Younger Brother to a leader. In fact, I really like this particular group of older boys, having known most of them from Cub Scouting and watching them grow up. One of the guys has a difficult time in school--he has a severe reading disability. But he's one of the troop leaders, respected by his peers, renown for his antics and his flair for drama. Another boy, who has had a rough home life and who was in the shadow of his older brother, is starting to take on responsibility and leadership. He's coming into his own, becoming comfortable with himself.

And then, of course, there are the Assistant Scoutmasters, including Hubs. These are the kind of men I wouldn't mind my sons becoming. They sing, they dance, they cook, they lead by example, they challenge the boys in the troop to lead, to take on responsibility, to earn those rank advancements. They keep the light of Scouting burning brightly and they are eager to pass it on to the next generation.

Plus, when I got home, I got to watch one of my favorite "chick flicks," uninterrupted and without apology! ;)