Scoutmaster Podcast 150

Well, this is a week where we're all going to be looking for the right words to say, And I don't always know what to say. I know that we're part of a network. I mean, we join hands with parents and volunteers and teachers and all the people who care for and protect and help our children, And, after the horrible tragedy that I'm full of in Newton, Connecticut, we just really can be at a loss for words.

At one point, though, we're going to talk to our children and we're going to talk to our scouts about these types of tragic events, And it's one way we can help relieve some of the anxiety and the anger and the uncertainty we all feel about these types of things, We can bring some perspective to them and we can find constructive action in response to tragedy. You probably already heard or read what Fred Rogers had to say about events like this. He said: when I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me: look for the helpers. You'll always find people who are helping To this day, especially in times of disaster.

I remember my mother's words, And I'm always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers, so many caring people in this world, And that's Fred Rogers. Mr Rogers, I can remember myself, in 1968, when I was in second grade, Robert Kennedy was shot and he lingered in the hospital for a time before he died, And the events of those days loomed pretty large in our eight-year-old minds.

Were we safe? Were our parents safe?

Why did somebody shoot Mr Kennedy? I can remember how fearful and how uncertain we felt When some great tragedy unfolds.

Our scouts are going to know about it, They're going to discuss it and they're going to wonder what we think They're going to have those fears and uncertainties And we can help them by doing three things. The first and most important thing is to talk about this. Our scouts will see images and stories on TV and that may make them anxious and fearful.

They need to talk about these events and we need to watch for their expressions of fear or disbelief. We need to be prepared to help them work through this. The best thing for us to do is to give them uncomplicated, honest explanations, reassurance.

We need to respect their emotions and beliefs, even if we don't necessarily agree with or understand them. In our role as scouts, I think it's especially important that we be impartial on any debatable questions that touch on these events, whether they're social questions or religious questions or political questions.

Our scouts are going to want to know or explain the reasons and the motivations involved And you know, when it comes to that, our best answers are just going to be questions. We need to ask them what they think happened and why they think it happened.

We don't need to necessarily supply answers, We just need to listen to their answers and help them think this through, And we can also talk about the ideals of the Scout, Oath and Law and how they apply to these sorts of things. I think also we can help them gain some perspective.

You know, children see the world so much differently. Their sense of proportion and scale is really very small and they will fear. Things that have happened to others will happen to them. They'll discuss them with each other and they'll form their own opinions, and a lot of times these opinions will feed their fears and misapprehensions. In the face of great tragedy, we all tend to feel overwhelmed and anxious- I do, I know you probably do- And we feel a heightened sense of uncertainty, and seeing stories like this repeated over and over again can be very alarming for children And it can seem as though the event is happening over and over again. We know that these feelings of uncertainty and these feelings of anxiety will subside over time and that we begin to feel better and less anxious when we talk to and listen to each other.

The third thing you can do to help resolve this and the hearts and minds of your scouts and yourself is to find some constructive action. Share the understanding that being afraid and angry or feeling sad or uncertain about this sort of thing is natural. We all feel that way. What's important is what we do with those feelings. We talk about them. We find constructive things to do with them.

Using a letter of support or making donations to help victims, joining others in a prayer or a moment of silence for the people who were harmed And other constructive action is a way to join the people that help. Now listen to your scouts and discuss these things with them and give them useful ways to express themselves that they can use then for the rest of their lives. That's how we do our part in forming the next generation of helpers. If you'll go to the post that contains this podcast, you'll find a link to supporting the helpers that will give you the addresses of the different first responder agencies that were called to Sandy Hook School.

It's a helpless feeling for first responders when there's so much tragedy and so much death and so little they can do, But they were there and they did their jobs and they continue to do their jobs And they need to know how much we appreciate that. Finally, the work that you do as a scouter is so very, very important.

It's part of this network of care and support for our children And we need to pay attention to them. You have a powerful potential for doing good, for helping a child who's maybe a little misunderstood, for helping a child with difficulties or disabilities and opening the world a little bit for them, And I don't think it's too much to say that these efforts, no matter how small you may believe they are, can save so many children from the kind of despair and darkness that had to have been behind an event like this. This is Scoutmaster Podcast number 150.. Hey, this is Clarke Green, and welcome back to the Scoutmaster Podcast.

It's been a difficult few days for all of us and there's still lots for us to do, So we're going to just do our best to keep on moving. Looking in the mailbag this week. Let's take a look here. We heard from Jim Patrick, who is an assistant scoutmaster with Troop 236 in Mount Comfort, Indiana. He says I love your blog and podcast. Listening to your latest podcast on the way home from work Monday afternoons is one of the highlights of my week.

You're providing a great service to the scouting community. You truly do a good turn daily. Keep up the great work Well.

Thank you so much, Jim. A lot of people listen to the podcast driving home or driving to work And hello, keep your eyes on the road. OK, but really thanks, Jim, And thanks for thanks for being in touch. It's always appreciated. Thank you for your kind words. Tim Georgie, who is a scoutmaster for Troop 212, wrote to say: hi, Clark, I just read today's post on the four steps to scout advancement.

A scout is reviewed- Great stuff. Enjoy reading this series. Thanks again for all you do for the scouting community. Your blog is one I look forward to each day, as is your podcast each week.

Thanks so much, Tim. That's a familiar name And I'm glad to hear back from you. Steve Chase works with Cub Scout Pack 940 in San Antonio, Texas. Down there in San Anton He says this: I found your blog last month after I became a new den leader with my son's Wolf Den. Thanks, Clark, for your valuable and inspirational podcasts. I've had a chance to listen to about four or five of them and they've all been outstanding.

I did want to mention that podcast number 69 was very special to me. Thanks for sharing your story about being a dad and going through the different years with your son.

Your words seem so right and so good for me to hear as a young father myself with four boys. Thanks so much, Steve Boy. You got your hands full for you, my four young boys. Being a Wolf Den leader is really intense.

I used to call that the most intense hour or so of my week.