Cub Scout Pack Pack 374 Recruitment Night - June 2

I remember sitting in the back as a Scout Parent listening to a recruiting presentation one night.  I had sat through many versions but this one was very different. The Cubmaster pulled out a string, stretched it out to 10 feet and had two boys hold it on either end.

"Most doctors estimate that with advances in medicine, our children will live to an average age of about 100 years old, and this 10 foot string represents that timeline, with one decade per foot," he said.

"The average parent over 30 today is estimated to live to the average age of about 75 years old. If your son was born when you were about 25, then that gives you about 50 years on this earth together," and he cut the string in half leaving 5 feet.

"Of course these 50 years aren't all under one roof, because kids move out eventually - we hope - sometime in their twenties," and he cut the string in half again, leaving 2.5 feet.

"Naturally, however, these aren't all formative years. It would be nice if kids listened all throughout their teens, but we all know that music, friends, and other social activities tend to fill their vision and mind and our voice begins to fade into the background between 12 and 13 years old," and he cut it in half again, leaving 1 foot 3 inches left.

At this point the two scouts had moved comically close. The audience gave a chuckle.

"Now for those boys that are here that just graduated kindergarten you are between 5 and 6 years old. I hope your parents consider that time well spent because it is in the past," and he cut it in half one last time, leaving a piece about 7.5 inches long. He held it up.

"Parents, this is the time left that you have left to make a strong meaningful impact in the person your son becomes," he said. "Yes, we will go on camping trips, participate in various patriotic parades, and community service. We will have fun with Pine Wood Derby races, and other types of Scout Crafts.  Our most important task, however, is to prepare these boys to be young men with a strong sense duty to god, and duty to country. We've been doing it for a century, so we've got it pretty well figured out by now," he smiled.

Next week Pack 374 in Menifee with host their recruitment night. Any parent of a child who is finishing Kindergarten through Fourth Grade is welcome to attend.  The meeting will be held in the Multipurpose Room of Ridgemoor Elementary at 25455 Ridgemoor Rd. in Menifee and it will start at 6:30 pm. Please come and check out the fun.