Also, my six-year-old doesn't espouse anti-gay-rights when he wears a Boy Scout uniform any more than you espouse anti-gay-rights when you wear anything from Anthropologie or the Gap or Old Navy or Banana Republic. Don't push a political agenda on a little kid who just wants to hang out with his friends.
I hope you understand you espouse anti-gay rights when you attend Catholic services. START YOUR OWN RELIGION, LUCY!
You might see it as pushing a political agenda but I see it as teaching him my values.
And I don't wear those clothes (although it's mostly because I'm poor).
ETA: It all comes down to compromise, right? Parents have to figure out which things they're going to compromise while bringing up their kids. Well, this isn't one of them for me, and I guess I should just leave it at that.
Look, I'm not trying to say you're wrong for not letting your kid join Boy Scouts. You do you, boo, all day long.
But letting my child participate in boy scouts or any other activity, group, restaurant, etc that doesn't align with my values doesn't mean I'm not teaching him my values or that I'm teaching him the values of that organization.
Not by a long shot.
In fact, I would argue that this is the way organizations change their stances.
You might see it as pushing a political agenda but I see it as teaching him my values.
And I don't wear those clothes (although it's mostly because I'm poor).
ETA: It all comes down to compromise, right? Parents have to figure out which things they're going to compromise while bringing up their kids. Well, this isn't one of them for me, and I guess I should just leave it at that.
Look, I'm not trying to say you're wrong for not letting your kid join Boy Scouts. You do you, boo, all day long.
But letting my child participate in boy scouts or any other activity, group, restaurant, etc that doesn't align with my values doesn't mean I'm not teaching him my values or that I'm teaching him the values of that organization.
Not by a long shot.
In fact, I would argue that this is the way organizations change their stances.
I agree with you that the best way to change BSA is fron the inside, but I have never heard of a group actively trying to do this, and there definitely isn't one in my area.
I agree with you that the best way to change BSA is fron the inside, but I have never heard of a group actively trying to do this, and there definitely isn't one in my area.
What is your definition of actively though? People in this thread are discussing how open their packs are, how far they're going to stress their inclusiveness. Others are calling them to the carpet for their stance, resigning their positions, publicly speaking out against the practice.
I agree with you that the best way to change BSA is fron the inside, but I have never heard of a group actively trying to do this, and there definitely isn't one in my area.
What is your definition of actively though? People in this thread are discussing how open their packs are, how far they're going to stress their inclusiveness. Others are calling them to the carpet for their stance, resigning their positions, publicly speaking out against the practice.
I haven't seen this last part in my area at all. I might think differently if I did.
Considering I'm raising my kids Catholic, I don't think I'll be a complete hypocrite and refuse to let him join BSA, provided he wants to and the troop/den/whateverthefuckitis isn't crazy.
Personally, I'm of the mind that there have to be people on the inside of whatever organization is being pushed to change policy, because outside pressure means jackshit if the people involved are happy to continue as things are.
Probably but he has no interest. My kids attend Catholic School though and we attend a (Non-Catholic)Christian Church that is not as liberal as I'd like so we are deep into hypocrisy at this point...considering we are non-Catholic Christian, liberal freaks of nature. However, our friends who are gay know who we are and what we personally believe and they don't have a conflict with any of it (I have asked in the course of conversations about where to send the kids etc.). It's all a clusterfu!k at this point.
While I would be very careful about leaving my kid with a Catholic priest, or in a sports program where he has to change/shower in a locker room, I am not worried about the cub scouts. DS went to scout day camp this summer. DH was there about half the time and the rest of the time another parent that we knew was with the kids.
Be careful with sleepaway camp. I know someone who was repeatedly molested by his swim instructor.
Yeah, I don't see sleepaway camp in DS's future for a variety of reasons including the fact that I have heard too many bad stories from former counselors.
Day camp was closely supervised and the kids were always with a parent from our troop that I knew and trusted.