How to convince my 12 yr old son to stay in Scouts?

Question

Currently my son is a 2nd class boy scouts in our very small town. Majority of the boys his age are involved in scouts with him. recently he has discovered girls and met one from a nearby town that is not heavily involved in scouts. She is convincing him that scouts is stupid, only nerds are in scouts, etc. My son knows this isn't true since most of them in his troop are the popular kids in his school. Secertly, he loves scouts and wants to get his Eagle Rank, but this girl is really pulling him in the opposite direction.

How can I convince him that she is just a boat on a large ocean and that one day he will regret not staying in scouts and getting his Eagle badge?

Thanks.

Answer 1

You should let him decide what he honestly wants to do, but if he really likes Scouts the let him know that this girl shouldn't control what he does and that they're are plenty of girls out there that will like him for who he is and not what he likes to do.

Answer 2

You shouldn't force something on your child that he is just not into.  It will only make him unhappy and feel resentment towards you.

Answer 3

i quit scouts at about that age, and i regret it. i was sorta pressured by a friend who was also quiting, and now i regret quiting.  tell him that if a girl isnt going to support him a what he does, shes not somebody you want to be with.  tell him to follow what he wants to do, and not what some girl tells him to do

Answer 4

No offense, but at my school all the scouts ARE nerds. maybe it's the same in her town.

Answer 5

if u dont want ur kid 2 have girlfriends h**l keep him in it but let him make pick if he dont like being in it dont force him

Answer 6

Tell him that if that girl really wanted to hang out with him she wouldn't tell him that something he loves to do is dorky.I'm his age and if a guy told me to give up the clarinet I wouldn't hangout with him. It's just a puppy crush

Answer 7

I don't think there is any convincing him at this age.  He may just not be into it anymore.  I would just mention to him how far along he is, how much time he's put into it,  and how you woudl like to see him become an Eagle Scout one day... and leave it at that.  Maybe he'll come around and want to stay, but maybe he really doesn't want to do it anymore.  Don't force him.  He may regret it one day, but we learn in life by making mistakes and making our own decisions.

Answer 8

I understand this when I was young and in girl scouts I started to feel to old somewhere around that age and felt embarressed.Well I also had mean leaders and other problems with it so it was a different story but, telll him before you make this decision decide whether its something he really wants to give up or it is embarressment and pressure from this girl! will you regret it are you going to miss it?Tell him of your experiences or have your husband tell him of experiences with crush's never lasting long at that age and then you cant ever go back to scouting! do you understand what im saying, just let him see what a smart decision would be, what really lasts!What he might miss out on and that that girl wont even last especially if she cant not make fun of him for things hew enjoys doing. Not the girl for him. Tell him all these things- If you want!

Answer 9

what i would do and then again i am just a teen myself is that this girl isn't good for him and that he can do better this girl is taking over him and he doesn'twant to look stupid because he obviously likes her and wants to impress her but a girl for anything isn't worth it.

Answer 10

Tell him that he must find another extracurricular activity to fill the time. He either stays in scouts or finds another activity that he would enjoy. I think that he hopes to quit to spend time with her instead and this would be the push that he needs to realize that he wants to stay in scouts.

If he does choose another activity though, support him in it. As long as he stays active and is involved socially, it will be good for him.

Answer 11

Let your son decide on what activities he wants to be in.  You need to be his cheerleader and support the activities he chooses.  Kids will try several things before they find their thing.  Kids also change and don't like things they used to like.  So let him quit and find something else.

Answer 12

let him decide if he wants to continue or not..

Answer 13

forget it, scouts is so stupid, i am a geek at school, and my brother is in the CA state band at age 16, and in a symphony, and stuff, scouts doesn't get him anywhere in life, let him become something that he can go to college for, like get him in interior design classes, or set aside time to enter for scholarships, or something he is good at, don't put him in sports!  sports gets you nowhere in life, they are pointless, don't let your kid become a jock that talks on aim and types "ttyl, bt i thk ur g*y" i hate those kin of people, i mean get over yourselves, i hate sports people! Boo them! why does all money go to sports which gets kids nowhere in life, and those people can even get good grades, money should go to the arts, to those who deserve it! sorry, i went on allot!

Answer 14

maybe he is growing out of it, and the girl is just a coincidence

dont force it

Answer 15

It's always interesting to see a kid's reaction when you point out that he is a victim of peer pressure, since most of them will swear that they will NEVER be that stupid . . . :-D

You can't put the girl down -- that just makes him defensive.  What you have to do is point out that he is his own person, and that even married people allow their spouses to be their own person, and don't stand in each other's way.  A girlfriend who keeps him from being his own person just wants him as an accessory, someone she can twist around her little finger.

Answer 16

Tell him that this girl has no idea what you do in scouts because she thinks its dorky and she haesnt even tried it becuase everyone else thinks its dorky and do what he loves becuase he loves it and not to stop because of a girls opinon

Answer 17

Act like you don't care if he wants to drop out of scouts. Can he pick up where he left off later? Course, he'll be behind. I guess remind him of his Eagle goal.  Get interested in what he likes to do with this girl. Maybe he's enjoying himself with other things that are healthy and good, too? I guess it's probably his first taste of dating and you should not act like it bothers you much. But, do have rules about being alone, etc. Maybe she can join him in some of his scouting activities???

Answer 18

hes your son dont take advantage of him let him do whatever he wants