Boy Scouts of America making this big change to be more inclusive

Scouting is a well-established factor in my family. My father was an Eagle Scout, several of my uncles, my grandfather, cousins, etc. I personally was in the Boy Scouts for 7 years in various countries like Spain, Panama, Guatemala, and the US. My father even served as my Scoutmaster for two years as he and I started a US troop in Guatemala (reactivated it actually). I loved the scouts! I had a great time going to places where many scouts will never get to see. The Panama Canal, Mayan / Aztec ruins, Castles, and so much more. Almost every campout was like going on a high adventure event.
By the time I got back to the US, I was about to age out and decided I needed to learn how to be an American again after living overseas for 13 years (and being a Boy Scout at 17 wasn't common then). So, I left during my junior year in high school and moved on. But I'll never forget the lessons I learned from scouting in leadership, living in the outdoors, and basic personal responsibility. I am a better person because of scouting.

The first thing which confused me about the scouts was when I came to the US and pulled out my machete to cut up some small kindling. An adult stopped me as if I was about to shoot up a school and confiscated my machete. I explained to him that these are like pocket knives to us in the jungles of Guatemala and Panama. I also assured him I had my Toten chip card, which was supposed to allow me to use sharp objects without supervision.

Years later I started my first assignment in the Air Force as a 2nd Lt and I decided that for community service I would volunteer as an adult leader. Things started to appear a little hypersensitive then (1995 era), and I did not like the fact that the Scoutmaster rarely attended the campouts, to include summer camp. I felt more like a babysitter as adults would tag team with each other on the same campouts while I committed all my time for the whole event. But I also volunteered to serve as a merit badge counselor for several of the fun things scouts typically had to wait for Summer Camp to do. They kept pushing me back so I eventually moved on.

It wasn't until my own son (2015-ish era) before I came back, in this case for Cub Scouts. I figured the rules for Cub Scouts were meant to a little more strict as we're working with very small kids, so I accepted that. However, when my son transitioned into the Boy Scouts, I felt it was far too much of a hypersensitive environment, restricting our boys' ability to be boys, constantly supervised, no opportunities to operate a little more independently. Over time I observed my own son hating more and more of the aspects of scouting. Simple things all boys do were addressed as if they're becoming bullies vs honest playful behavior. In ways, some of this is the stupidity of the evil adults (and some older kids) performing horrible actions, and some was as a result of taking jokes too far (go find left-handed smoke shifter, Athletic foot benders, sky hooks, etc). All good-natured fun taken too far unfortunately.

If it weren't for the fact that we invested so much time and effort into my son's scouting experience, knowing what I've observed, and seeing where scouting has gone, I would not recommend it anymore. To be clear, I don't really care that much if they want to allow girls, and if some of the kids feel they are gay or identify with the opposite sex really doesn't matter to me to. What I don't like is the Scouts changing their program to pander to this. Wear the uniform properly, meet the requirements, follow the oath and law, and if these don't align to your sexual or gender perspective, find another program. There are plenty of other community service and leadership programs out there!

The problem is, the BSA was trying to make everyone happy and they're still reeling from the lawsuits for the stupidity and evilness of horrible leaders. But instead of doubling down on what makes a scout, they implemented measures which restricted the boys from enjoying the program. Toward that end, fewer boys joined. So now they're trying to appeal to elements which attempt to qualify more of the standards that already existed. The elements of the Scout Law already address all that a kid needs to align to; to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, thrifty brave, clean, and reverent. There is nothing more they need to do towards others and each of these applies to ALL people, regardless of what they are or what they believe. The oath reinforces the scouting edict to do your duty to God and Country. If kids do not believe, that's fine, then consider what you're joining and the fact you're repeating an empty oath. But also, just as important, the oath addresses one's own responsibility to themselves, to keep themself, physically strong (exercise), morally straight (be a good person), and mentally awake (to seek and retain knowledge).

So unfortunately, I do not expect many more generations to join scouting in the future. They are appeasing themselves into oblivion and that saddens me. As I said, I had a great scouting experience and I wish my son could have experienced it, because he is not seeing the same program I once enjoyed. But because we've gone as far as he has, he will finish it, because that's what you do. He's essentially a service project away from completing Eagle, and then he wants nothing more to do with the troop (and I can't blame him too much). He's also going through the JROTC program at school where they treat him more like an upcoming adult, the leadership allows them to work independently, and they have a better leadership program.

I find it differs with each ground-level organization. The one here that two of mine are members of I believe let their cub scouts get away with practically anything up to murder itself, and heaven forbid we try to police their actions. The previous one we were a part of, briefly, was run way better.