Blue and Gold Mode

Every tribe or organization has its own set of initiations or rites of passage. As a Dad of a young boy, I thought I was about to witness a classic one for my 8-year-old son. When we left the house for a certain panckake breakfast last week, I was thinking about him in his crisp blue uniform, and was doing the typical “my little boy is growing up so fast” self-talk. Little did I know, it was actually a coming-of-age moment for me.

Yes, I’m talking about the famed Cub Scout “Blue-and-Gold” tradition.

My son just joined Cubs a few weeks ago on his birthday. As he left for his first meeting, Emily and I jokingly referred to the fact that this now meant we would be “scouting parents,” doing the sorts of things that our parents did for years. Basements full of camping equipment, sewing on badges, schlepping kids back/forth to events, etc., would now be part of our life. And yet, none of it really hit me until I was sitting at the Blue-and-Gold breakfast last week.

Looking around the room, I was amazed at what amounts to a small army of parents. It’s really America at its best, bringing together volunteerism, patriotism, service and gusto. They’re all busy people, with lots to do. Chances are they had something better to do last Saturday than attend a breakfast with a bunch of rowdy kids in a church hall at 8am. And yet, it became the most important thing any of us did that day or week. One of the leaders summed it up during his remarks, and then during a one-on-one conversation later that day. He read a quote by the Boy Scout forefather Lord Baden Powell, saying that “The Boy is not governed by DON’T, but rather led by DO.” He explained that there are plenty of voices in the world telling people what they cannot be or accomplish, but so few opportunities to help young people today see what they can accomplish through doing something positive. It seems basic, but it requires a major shift of thinking for most people.

So while I was talking to my fellow parents (most of us weary from work, kid duties, church assignments, family errands – everything from drafting to deals to diapers), I realized that scouting is going to train me as much as it will my son. I’ve got to learn how to offer my boy a vision for what he can be doing, not just what he’s got to stay away from. Perhaps this is a basic principle for most, but it was a great reminder and wake-up call for me. I am really good at telling my kids not to do something. I don’t know how good I am at offering them visions of what to be.

So while I snarfed down the pancakes and chatted with neighbors, my mind wandered from this parenting moment to a global communications moment. I was thinking about the world Adam would grow-up in. Was I succumbing to the power of maple syrup or was this a communicator’s mini-ephiphany? I started thinking about what was happening in Egypt, how we are talking to young people about positive change in the world on-line, what would happen with voting among the 18-25 year-old set next election, how to engage with young journalism students in developing countries with emerging democracies… All of the sudden, the “Blue-and-Gold” breakfast was less about the breakfast, and more about my world. So I’ve decided to be in Blue and Gold mode even when there aren’t pancakes around…

[PS – As I am getting re-acquainted with scouting, I found some gems of other Powell quotes here to share. Lots to think about!]