The rest of my day should be pretty uneventful. I have to go out food shopping and get that over with, put hubby's work clothes away that have been sitting in the dryer and possibly even get outside to get some yard work done. There are tons of leaves and branches in my back yard from all the wind we had with the rain storm and someone (aka ME) has to clean it all up.
In other news around here, Orion wants to quit Cub Scouts. He's tired of all the "work" that comes with being a higher level scout and not really enjoying it anymore. He used to enjoy scouts when it was all den meetings and fun, but now it's all about work and doing stuff that he really doesn't enjoy....so he wants to quit. Personally, I'm ok with it, I understand that kids try many different things and they don't stick with everything they try. Orion isn't the type of kid to go from sport to sport, he's more of a thinker than a sports person. The only sport he has ever enjoyed was bowling. He enjoys just shooting hoops in the driveway, but not the actual game of basketball, he enjoys kicking the ball around the yard but not the actual sport of soccer. That's just the way he has always been and probably always will be. Hubby wants him to do sports, he says it's good for him to compete with other kids, personally I think forcing him to do something he hates is the wrong plan and will only end badly. I don't believe in forcing a kid to compete in a sport if they truly don't want to...besides it's a waste of your money if you're going to sign him up only to have him be miserable and fight you every time you try to take him to practice or a game.
So when Orion told me he really wasn't enjoying scouts anymore and really couldn't care less about doing it anymore I had a hard time telling him he had to complete the year...afterall we already paid the fee for the year that covers him all the way through the summer. But he doesn't want to go to den meetings, he doesn't want to go to pack meetings, he just wants to snowboard or bowl or even just stay home and watch a movie with me. What can I say? I don't like dragging him out and fighting with him only to end up embarrassed because of his pouty behavior....because trust me if I forced him to go he would make sure EVERYONE knew he was only there because his mom forced him to go! Call me a push-over if you must, I know I'm soft on him, but seriously some battles just aren't worth it. I have found with my little man that the old saying "Pick your battles" is very true and I have to pick and choose what lines to draw and what lines to get soft on. When it comes to bedtime, respecting his mother and father, internet and helping out around the house, I'm mean! Orion used to tell me "Mom you're not just mean you're a MEANER!" I take pride in being a meaner on some things, but others I know I'm not even remotely mean....and this is one of them. I just go woth the flow and let him make the call as to whether or not he will continue to be a scout. Why should I waste my time and energy trying to get him to den meetings, pack meetings and other scout events only to have him be miserable when honestly I don't feel like the leaders really care all that much about my son so much as they care about the money and politics of it all. Here an example of what I mean:
This past fall the scouts had a fundraiser for the pack. They sold popcorn like they do every single year. the popcorn is pricey and the kids stand outside the stores getting people to buy the popcorn or make a donation. Orions first trip out he ended up alone because his partner never showed up. He made a ton of money for the pack that day, 1/2 in popcorn sales and 1/2 in donations. The slip even said that the donations would go to the troops overseas, but a lot of people said to give it to the pack and walked away. The pack leaders wife asked if Orion wanted to do it again and he said sure, he would help out. He worked with another boy the second time and he made a lot more money....again this time about 1/2 the money collected was donations. Now here's the deal...the popcorn sales have incentives for the kids....if they sell a certian amount they get a prize, and the more they sell the better the prize. Well when Orion finished up on his second day he was $13 away from the bow and arrow set he really really wanted! He went to his neighbor and asked them to buy one can of popcorn so he could get that bow and arrow set. They bought the popcorn and Orion was excited that he had made enough. We handed in our packet with the totals and the desired prize. A few days later the leaders wife calls me to tell me that Orion can not get the bow and arrow set because he hadn't sold enough popcorn, that over $200 of his funds had been in donations and therefore that went to the pack. She was not donating to the troops because the people who donated were under the impression that the money was going to the pack and so she was keeping it for them. Since the money would not go to the popcorn company Orion didn't qualify for the prize. He had to choose from 2 levels down and get some cheesy prize.....he was exceptionally disappointed and all she had to offer was that he was helping the pack!
It's things like that happening that turned him away...what turned me away was the fact that Orion got sick and then I got sick , then we started snowboarding. Orions den was preparing for something called the Klondike Derby, which is some winter outdoor activity the older scouts do every year. Orion had no interest in it and it fell on one of our weekends away so Orion chose to snowboard over going to that. SO since the den was busy preparing for that he figured there really was no need for him to be at the meetings. He missed a total of 3 meetings...one for the derby, one because he was sick and one because I was too sick to take him. Anyway, his den leader sent me an e-mail and basically this is what it said....
"Orion has missed the last 3 den meetings. As I am sure you can understand we rely on the members dues to pay for the supplies for the meetings and outings. Could you let me know if Orion will be attending next Tuesdays meeting? Thank you"
That was it, no question as to whether or not everything was ok with us, no wondering if we were sick or if something had happened, nope, just we need your dues! She couldn't even call us to ask, she sends an impersonal e-mail, I was so not impressed! That's when I decided it was all about the money...the next den meeting Orion did go and I sent him with his dues for that week and all the weeks he had missed and a note saying I was sorry she didn't get her dues in a timely manner but we had been sick and I figured it would be best to not send a kid with the swine flu to the meetings.
Well I really gotta get off here, I actually feel better having got that scout thing off my chest lol I need to get my day going and get my shopping done.
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