As I was waiting for a long structural analysis to run, I saw my Wolf Cub Scout Book on the shelf and picked it up to take a look. I know it is mine because it is all beat up and scribbled all over. Apparently, my sister tried to claim it later as her name is in it below mine which has been scratched out.
The first Cub Scout badge is Bobcat which now has a special meaning to me as it was our high school mascot. The badge is relatively easy to get, but it indicates a potential strong commitment to what it means to be a good person. It includes a promise to do your best, to do your duty, to God and country, to help others and obey rules. It includes reference to the term Akela which is supposed to mean good leader. Obviously not all scout leaders ever were always good, but the book does reference following good leaders. It encourages kids to smile and help others, even in little things. Kind of like kindergarten, it gives kids a good start on their path.
The second badge is the focus of the book and requires 12 achievements and allows for additional awards before moving to the next stage. I remember very little about this stage, but I know I did as much as I needed to get the two different color extra badges. I had an achievement steak back then. I won’t list all the 12 achievements, but they hit the highlights of how to honor the flag, how to stay healthy, how to use tools, conserve, learn, and follow your religion. It even had a part about collecting that I learned too well and a part on baseball. The book specifically states that it does not tell you what to believe about God, only that you do it well. Apparently, my favorite part was secret codes as my mom singed off on a whole lot of that.
My Bear Cub Scout Book is in much better shape, but only because it was probably made better. It has a similar 12 areas of achievement and the extra awards, but they are a little more advanced. Between the two of them, these books gave me a good basis for my little bit of knowledge in a whole lot of areas. Unsurprisingly I continued to achieve, but apparently this began my affinity for cycling as well.
(This analysis seems to be going on longer than expected even.)
My Webelos Scout Book is in similarly bad shape as the other two. The Webelos badge is earned by a smaller set of requirements, but the focus is no longer badges to sew on the uniform, but little pins to pin on a pin holder than pins on the uniform. There are fifteen options. I am not sure whether I got them all, but I probably tried. The back of the book would indicate I did not do the Craftsman one, no shock there. The most outstanding on the list is Engineer, which, I apparently have aced by now. Once again, the list includes a little more progress on the ones from before. My favorite part of this was earning the Arrow of Light award which you can wear as a full-blown scout once you were old enough.
With no dad in sight, my time in Cub Scouts helped my single mother prepare me for life in the real world. It was not misogynic or any of the other prejudicial crap that has been thrown at scouting over the years. Yes, I learned some things I should not have, but I learned a whole lot more that has made me better than I would have been otherwise. I do not often think of these times in terms of cub scouting as it was what me and my friends did together, and it was just part of life. For what little I knew, it was good, and I am proud of having gone through it and glad I did.