There are ten:
1. Meet age requirements. Wow. The first thing to do on the first day of this project and I’m already defaulting. *sigh*
2. Complete a Boy Scout application and health history signed by your parent or guardian. I printed one out from the Scout Web site and filled it out. Unit type? One option was “lone Boy Scout.” I guess that’s me. After filling in a birthday from the 70’s, I wondered what to put for grade. I have several courses done beyond a Master’s Degree. I estimate I’m in grade 19, and put that down. For school, I put the name of the school at which I work. I do not check the box to subscribe to Boy’s Life: my Webelos-age son already gets it. Each month when it comes in the mail, I read it before giving it to him. Parent or guardian signature? I go ahead and sign. I have no health history form, but no health history problems, either.
3. Find a Scout troop near your home. I figure that when a requirement says “troop or patrol,” I’ll just substitute “family.” Check.
4. Repeat the Pledge of Allegiance. Not only do I remember this from my own school days, but I’ve said this at work nearly every day for the last ten years. Still, reciting it on my own now is strangely hard. I have to stop and review: did I do it right? I did. Hooray.
5. Demonstrate the Scout sign, salute, and handshake. Check. I showed my wife how to do these things.
6. Demonstrate tying the square knot. No rope handy; I used the ends of the straps on a backpack.
7. Understand and agree to live by the Scout Oath or Promise, Law, Motto, and Slogan, and the Outdoor Code. Check. I almost have these memorized already! I didn’t know there was an outdoor code.
8. Describe the Scout Badge. The background for this page was not chosen at random.
9. Complete the pamphlet exercises. I read through this with my wife. (I’ve decided that when a requirement says “parent or guardian,” I’ll usually just go to my wife.) We conclude that my occasionally mooning the kids is not child abuse.
10. Participate in a Scoutmaster conference. “Scoutmaster” will probably be my wife, too.
Gently Hew Stone 