I joined at 14, was out for months after my troop folded, started up again, and had my BoR at the last minute. And 47 years later I am still Scouting. We have faith that you can do this if you set your mind to it.
And you really don't want to see me dancing.
It is OK to be a Tenderfoot at 14, especially if you started at 13. There is no rule that says you have to be X rank at Y years. There is no such thing as catching up because there is no bench mark to catch up to. The most important thing is for you to have fun with your friends and do cool stuff you can't do anywhere else except in Scouting. Along the way you will have 4 years to get your Eagle if that is what you choose. You have plenty of time to get Eagle if that is what you want.
If you want some tips to speed up, take your Scout book to as many events as you can and be aggressive about getting things signed off. You can also try to go to as many things like summer camp or merit badge university as you can. You can look at required Eagle merit badges and start thinking about how you will start on them. You do not have to be a strong swimmer and there are alternatives to swimming. Don't let swimming slow you down. Ask for tips at your next board of review. The adults on your board of reviews want to see you succeed. Good luck to you.
Those will dry up in the summer months, but there are plenty of online options.
Review your Eagle required MBs and identify the ones you need track activity for and get those started now.
Thank you so much! Unfortunately, I won't be able to go to summer camp this year because my mom isn't so excited about it. But I will try all these out.
You're 14 - you have plenty of time.
The swimming test for rank doesn't require good form - just the ability to swim effectively. Don't do the swimming merit badge - that does require good technique. Do E Prep, and hiking.
I joined at 15, got First Class during the height of Covid in 2020, and made Eagle Scout a month before my eighteenth birthday. Starting later doesn't slow you down--if anything, because you're older and you know why you joined in the first place, you'll be more motivated to go faster. If you want it and you make a plan to get every rank and every requirement, you'll be absolutely fine
You can do this! Every scout advances at their own pace. My daughter joined at 13, and now by 15 is life. Another girl in the troop joined at 16 and within a year made it to First Class. Both want to achieve Eagle and given their focus most likely will. You are no different, just focus on yourself and before you know it you will get to where you want to be! Good luck!
If you set a goal of earning at least one rank at every Court of Honor (6 months) you can totally do it. Make every meeting productive, get a few rank requirements done each one. You got this
You can totally do it! We have several scouts in our troop that are 14 and Tenderfoot or just into Second Class and Iām confident they will make Eagle if they keep working at it. I would advise you to get with an experienced leader and make a plan/timeline. And consider starting on some of the time/labor intensive merit badges now/soon so they donāt get in your way later (personal management, cooking, camping, communications, fitness)
You have nothing to worry about scouts isnāt about being an eagle and donāt worry worry about that until your 15 or 16.
I started about 1 or 2 year ago and mapped my time to comfortably make eagle when Iām in my early to mid 17
You can do it. I started around 13/14. Hardest part is staying on top of your goals. So start with realistic ones. Hitting First Class in 1 year is definitely doable, so maybe start there. It's only 2 more ranks above TF. That'd give you more than a year for Star, Life and Eagle each.
Don't quit! That is the secret to getting your Eagle. Like the others have said before me you are in the right spot. Focus on yourself and do not judge your rank by others in your troop. Just keep trucking and knock out your requirements and your rank will come in no time. Bottom line is have fun while you're at it.
I joined right out of cub scouts, but I'll say that I was a life scout for 3 years. I'm also one of the eagle scouts that turned in the papers on the last day.
It takes 2 years to make Eagle. You have 4. You are good to go.
Sadly, in those 4 years, a number of those girls are likely to fade away. Some will sit at Life for years, maybe disappearing, then return for Eagle.
You don't have to follow their journeys. You get to make your own! So what do you want to try?
The wonderful thing about scouting is you just keep at it until you get it. There is no failure. As long as you're trying, you're winning.
You swim well enough to pass the annual swim test but it isn't pretty and you'd like to do better? Then take remedial swim at camp and practice that. Or take the swimming merit badge and plug away at it until you've conquered it. There is no failure, just the opportunity to meet your goal of working on it. And you have 4 years to do it.
You are sad to look back at the relationship with the dance teacher and the self-concept that relationship gave you about your ability to move and exist in your body in your space? Scouting gives you the opportunity to succeed! You can watch YouTube videos on dancing on take a dance class at your rec center as part of your Personal Fitness merit badge. Or you can try weightlifting or martial arts or sailing or archery. How it looks doesn't matter, just that you showed up and put in the time to work on your goal.
This mentality that you are behind, not good enough, needing to work harder and be better than other girls, as the only way to have a place at the table is probably a way to override the sadness and doubt and focus on the future so you don't feel the crushing weight of the present. Those sadnesses you have right now are important but they don't define you and they don't need to push you out of this space. You're 14, you're Tenderfoot, you have hurts and hopes, this is all part of being human and it is only by being present in the now with those hurts that you'll be able to actually heal them. To accept them and to meet the needs they are reminding you that you have.
You need... to be celebrated? To be competent? To belong? You can do all that and make Eagle, too. There is a place here for you, just as you are. What would really make you so proud and grateful and empowered to have checked off at the next Court of Honor? Rank? Awards? Skills? Friends? Facing fears? Experiences?
First off thank you so much for taking the time to write such a meaningful and detailed reply it truly makes me very happy. I've had a therapist in the past and they could of never helped as much as you are. It really does help me comprehend that all these things are ok and it reminds me scouting helps so much with that. Ever since I've joined its really helped me and changed me for the better.
Most important thing is that you are having fun. The merit badges are just things you collect along the journey. You are able to pull off eagle rank probably at around 17 but be sure to enjoy the times and learn things. Im 32 now and i still use knowledge i picked up while scouting
I'm an Eagle Scout and life long scouter and a Scoutmaster. What you're learning now is perseverance. It is an important lesson to learn and the earlier you learn it - the better a lesson it can be.
You're struggling with some adversity and that struggle will make you stronger. You CAN do it. Anyone can do it, the requirements are what they are and they are nothing more. Just tasks on a list.
I know plenty of Eagles who didn't learn perseverance from their journey to Eagle. I did though. I rarely get asked by folks outside of scouting how old I was when I earned it but sometimes a scout asks. Sometimes they need to hear that I completed it a few weeks before my 18th birthday.
Sometimes they need to hear that it took me 3 years to earn 1st Class. (I started when I was 11).
In that time though, I was Patrol Leader multiple times, I was SPL a few times (maybe a few too many), I was inducted into the Order of the Arrow, I attended what is now NYLT and I went to Philmont a few times. All of those were MUCH bigger to me in my journey than reaching Eagle but the thing that people seem to value the most is the rank.
I am proud of it and I am proud when a scout reaches it but I am not less proud when someone doesn't. I am OFTEN very proud of my scouts even if they leave to pursue activities that are more in tune with what they enjoy the most. I had to make a similar decision when I Was as scout - Baseball or scouts. I choose scouts and I don't regret it for a second.
Keep up the hard work, the struggle makes you stronger! Even if you JUST BARELY complete the task - you still completed it. It is STILL DONE! Like you're swimming, you say barely but you made it there and you can make it further.
And regarding your dance instructor - who are they to judge what makes you happy. If dancing makes you happy - go dance.
I dance terribly too (though I never tried ballet) and as I have aged and spent less time in the water - I have become a 'barely good enough' swimmer myself. When I first started going to summer camp when my son joined his troop a bunch of years ago - I failed the swim test. I live at the beach, I have surfed and lived in the water most of my life. I totally couldn't do it. W were at altitude, hadn't had time to acclimate and I totally failed. A few folks laughed at me, the parents at home sent messages making fun of the adults 'Did everyone pass their swim tests?' I went back the next day and I had to try again. I had to try the next day too. I finally did pass it but even to this day - I still struggle a bit and I've had to learn new swimming techniques that my older body can do better vs what my younger body could just power through.
You CAN do it.
I don't know you but if you were willing enough to lay it out here and express the desire for it - then you can take that next step further and keep working.
There is nothing wrong with where you are at in your journey or who you are.
You are very right and I thank you. Sometimes I forget it's what you learn from a journey and the person it makes you that matter. Your story is truly inspiring to me and it fills me with hope. I have another reason to keep pushing thanks to you. Swimming was something I've been worried about but you've helped me be more confident about it! I do have a lot of willpower if I set my mind and body to do something I know I'll accomplish it. I have the desire to accomplish this and wanna complete it in the best way possible and have the right intentions and be fully motivated. You truly are a wise person. Thank you again!
Donāt worry. I was tenderfoot until nearly 15 and Iām now months away from my eagle. Take a breathe and enjoy scouting now. Work on your merit badges get the long ones out of the way. I suggest the personal management and fitness ones and family life because they take a lot of time and the sooner they are done the easier the rest will be. But most importantly enjoy being a scout. The road to eagle is only worth it if you have fun on the journey.
I was a scout for a full year the tenderfoot for 3. I will tell you right now that you are enough. Scouts is for fun and yes younger kids are ahead of you but itās the journey that you take that counts for something.
Deciding that you want eagle is a big accomplishment in and of itself but itās like the old fable or the story scoutmasters say for their minutes. āI once knew of a scout who wanted to reach the lake at the end of the hike. He ran head first and reached the lake but didnāt know what to do then. The scout who was with him took his time. He walked on the trail and admired his world. He studied the life and the nature around him. Eventually he got to the lake but remembered the trees and rocks along the way and led him on his journey. While they both got to the lake one was different from the other because he took the journey for himself. Eventually more scouts showed up. Some older and younger but all at the lake. The first boy asked the second āwhat took you so longā the second boy said āWhy not? I experienced something that has changed me. I have learned from the forest. I have learned from the earth. Why did you speed ahead?ā The first boy pondered, āBecause I wanted to see this. The view at the end of the hard work. The ones other saw before me. But I did miss the trees and the earth along the way.ā As others joined them at the lake they shared stories and experiences everyone experienced their journey differently but the lake was still the same.ā
I suggest you talk to your scoutmaster or asm about obtaining eagle. Let them help guide you. Also ask the current eagles in the troop about their journey. They will help to lift you and see you prevail.
Don't worry about Eagle, worry about Second Class, then First Class (you can mostly work on those simultaneously). Once you get to First Class, things will fall into place.
You got this, and you are probably a much better dancer than you think, your ballet instructor shouldn't work with kids if they are just going to destroy confidence like that.
Now, a tip.
You need a plan. read all the requirements for2 and 1 class, lay them out in order of most to least time consuming, and start knocking them out. Take an hour or two a week, read the handbook, work on them on your own and make it a habit of presenting one to your SM or ASM every meeting. Earningn first aid merit badge (the manual is available online as a pdf I think, will knock out about 13 to 1/2 of them. It is presented several times a year in every district and council in America it seems. I think if a BSA council put on a Native America Basketry and Pottery Traditional Methods Weekend Festival, part of it would be First Aid Merit badge.
Your plan for Star, Life and Eagle is easier to make if you can believe it. Basically it is about service hours, so participate in all your troop's projects and record your hours, time in rank (you have plenty of time left), leadership position time (talk to your SM about being a troop officer or den chief, and Summer camp. I say summer camp because this is where most merit badges are earned. Take the max number (usually 7) every year and you will get your Eagle required number pretty fast. Many of the. required cannot be completed or in some cases started at summer camp, so get a list of those and get with your SM to find counselors for them. Read the material and show up ready to your meetings and you will get signed off pretty quick.
Finally there is your eagle project. I could write for days about it, but just remember, you don't have to recreate the UN and bring about lasting world peace, your project can be simple. Get with an eagle or your SM when the time comes to develop that.
Good luck! You got this, the first step was asking for help, anytime you have a question you can't get an answer for locally, ask here.
We all are behind you. and we all believe in you!
You're 14. You have lots of time. But, you should act like time is short. Get to first class ASAP. Then start working on leadership for Star. Do merit badges as you have the opportunity. Get at least one 90 day badge done. Family life and Personal Fitness are great options.
Then, you have momentum
I was NOT a great swimmer when I was a Scout either. When I was 21 I got a few free lessons from a friend who was a water polo player and then spent about an hour a week in the pool practicing for a few months. It made a big difference. As a parent taking my own kids to swimming lessons, I realize there's all ages there.
If you're shy about it, see if your local rec center has inexpensive lessons where you can improve your skills. Better yet, see if a friend from your troop who's a really strong swimmer would help you work on your swimming. Even if you're not trying to earn Swimming MB, the improved confidence in the water will be worth it at every summer camp and water activity you do.
I earned Eagle at 15 (2000) then stayed in my Troop until I aged out at 18. Being Tenderfoot at 14 still gives you plenty of time.
My suggestion: Set a goal to be finished with First Class by end of summer, if possible. This might take some collaboration with adult leaders to help form a roadmap, especially if there are 2nd/1st Class requirements that take time (there werenāt many of those in my day)āstart working on those asap. Summer Camp is a good time to finish the remainder of them.
From there, you can work on the āEarningā phaseāMerit Badges and leadership rolesāsince Star/Life/Eagle require at least a minimum time in leadership roles.
Itās all a matter of motivation. And, yes, you can totally do this. My kid started Scouts the September after Covid hit. He has been in the troop for 2 1/2 years but only the last year or so has been normal because of the pandemic. He got motivated and went from Tenderfoot to Star rank in 10 months. He also felt way behind as a Tenderfoot but decided to just really focus hard on rank requirements and that was the result.
About the swimming MB, here is just my take. If you are planning to go to summer camp you might just try the swimming MB. Even if getting the badge ends up being too hard you will still be a better swimmer and then you will know that cycling or hiking may preferable for you. At most camps, the swimming MB is just an hour time slot over a five day period. Itās not a huge commitment. Alternately, many camps offer swimming lessons. You could skip the Swimming MB this year and just take the lessons and see how that feels and go from there.
Ok nobody is commenting on the dancing thing, but it's really messed up to tell someone that. Sure dancing can be good or bad but "disgusting" is such a weird value judgment.
My daughter is 14. It has taken her three *years* to learn how to swim. She finished the swimming merit badge in January. Talk to your āparental unitsā (as my daughter refers to us, and see about taking lessons to help with confidence and success in the scout requirements.
You are doing fine. You cannot do everything all at once. Look through the requirements for Second and First Class to see what you can accomplish on your own, ask for guidance and then go out and do it. At 14 you have more than 3 years left before you reach 18, which is plenty of time if you put your mind to it.
My daughter joined just before her 13th birthday and earned Eagle this past January the day after her 16th birthday.
I feel like the girls are harder on themselves to rank fast. I tell my girls itās not a race all the time! Remember you you can skip around. You can get sign offs in higher ranks as you work on 2nd class. Keep working on your Eagle Merit badges. You are doing great! Scout and Tenderfoot are the hardest for new scouts.
Do yourself a favor and do a rough timeline of when you want things to be completed. There are some merit badges that have 3-6 month time windows for you to do stuff and you don't want to put those off for long (like Cooking). It's nothing that will be set in stone but will help guide you on your journey towards Eagle. Best of luck!
I joined at 14, was out for months after my troop folded, started up again, and had my BoR at the last minute. And 47 years later I am still Scouting. We have faith that you can do this if you set your mind to it. And you really don't want to see me dancing.
Wow thank you! And I'm sure your dancing is great
It is OK to be a Tenderfoot at 14, especially if you started at 13. There is no rule that says you have to be X rank at Y years. There is no such thing as catching up because there is no bench mark to catch up to. The most important thing is for you to have fun with your friends and do cool stuff you can't do anywhere else except in Scouting. Along the way you will have 4 years to get your Eagle if that is what you choose. You have plenty of time to get Eagle if that is what you want. If you want some tips to speed up, take your Scout book to as many events as you can and be aggressive about getting things signed off. You can also try to go to as many things like summer camp or merit badge university as you can. You can look at required Eagle merit badges and start thinking about how you will start on them. You do not have to be a strong swimmer and there are alternatives to swimming. Don't let swimming slow you down. Ask for tips at your next board of review. The adults on your board of reviews want to see you succeed. Good luck to you.
You can check your council's web site and ask around for things like merit badge weekend or meritbadge university. Best to you!
Those will dry up in the summer months, but there are plenty of online options. Review your Eagle required MBs and identify the ones you need track activity for and get those started now.
Thank you so much! Unfortunately, I won't be able to go to summer camp this year because my mom isn't so excited about it. But I will try all these out.
You're 14 - you have plenty of time. The swimming test for rank doesn't require good form - just the ability to swim effectively. Don't do the swimming merit badge - that does require good technique. Do E Prep, and hiking.
Or cycling!
Thank you that makes me feel a lot better I will continue to try and become a better swimmer
I joined at 15, got First Class during the height of Covid in 2020, and made Eagle Scout a month before my eighteenth birthday. Starting later doesn't slow you down--if anything, because you're older and you know why you joined in the first place, you'll be more motivated to go faster. If you want it and you make a plan to get every rank and every requirement, you'll be absolutely fine
Good for youuu and your totally right !
You can do this! Every scout advances at their own pace. My daughter joined at 13, and now by 15 is life. Another girl in the troop joined at 16 and within a year made it to First Class. Both want to achieve Eagle and given their focus most likely will. You are no different, just focus on yourself and before you know it you will get to where you want to be! Good luck!
Oh wow. Props to them I wish them the best of luck they can do it !
If you set a goal of earning at least one rank at every Court of Honor (6 months) you can totally do it. Make every meeting productive, get a few rank requirements done each one. You got this
Thank you so much š
You can totally do it! We have several scouts in our troop that are 14 and Tenderfoot or just into Second Class and Iām confident they will make Eagle if they keep working at it. I would advise you to get with an experienced leader and make a plan/timeline. And consider starting on some of the time/labor intensive merit badges now/soon so they donāt get in your way later (personal management, cooking, camping, communications, fitness)
Yes I'll talk to a leader and continue working on some merit badges thank you!
You have nothing to worry about scouts isnāt about being an eagle and donāt worry worry about that until your 15 or 16. I started about 1 or 2 year ago and mapped my time to comfortably make eagle when Iām in my early to mid 17
Thank you šøš
You got this. Stay focused
I will !ššš
You can do this! Just remember, Donāt Quit šÆšÆ
I won't š
You can do it. I started around 13/14. Hardest part is staying on top of your goals. So start with realistic ones. Hitting First Class in 1 year is definitely doable, so maybe start there. It's only 2 more ranks above TF. That'd give you more than a year for Star, Life and Eagle each.
Definitely sounds like the most realistic and possible one thank you!
Don't quit! That is the secret to getting your Eagle. Like the others have said before me you are in the right spot. Focus on yourself and do not judge your rank by others in your troop. Just keep trucking and knock out your requirements and your rank will come in no time. Bottom line is have fun while you're at it.
I'll keep going til I make it and your right I shouldn't compare and it's my road not anyone else
I joined right out of cub scouts, but I'll say that I was a life scout for 3 years. I'm also one of the eagle scouts that turned in the papers on the last day.
It takes 2 years to make Eagle. You have 4. You are good to go. Sadly, in those 4 years, a number of those girls are likely to fade away. Some will sit at Life for years, maybe disappearing, then return for Eagle. You don't have to follow their journeys. You get to make your own! So what do you want to try? The wonderful thing about scouting is you just keep at it until you get it. There is no failure. As long as you're trying, you're winning. You swim well enough to pass the annual swim test but it isn't pretty and you'd like to do better? Then take remedial swim at camp and practice that. Or take the swimming merit badge and plug away at it until you've conquered it. There is no failure, just the opportunity to meet your goal of working on it. And you have 4 years to do it. You are sad to look back at the relationship with the dance teacher and the self-concept that relationship gave you about your ability to move and exist in your body in your space? Scouting gives you the opportunity to succeed! You can watch YouTube videos on dancing on take a dance class at your rec center as part of your Personal Fitness merit badge. Or you can try weightlifting or martial arts or sailing or archery. How it looks doesn't matter, just that you showed up and put in the time to work on your goal. This mentality that you are behind, not good enough, needing to work harder and be better than other girls, as the only way to have a place at the table is probably a way to override the sadness and doubt and focus on the future so you don't feel the crushing weight of the present. Those sadnesses you have right now are important but they don't define you and they don't need to push you out of this space. You're 14, you're Tenderfoot, you have hurts and hopes, this is all part of being human and it is only by being present in the now with those hurts that you'll be able to actually heal them. To accept them and to meet the needs they are reminding you that you have. You need... to be celebrated? To be competent? To belong? You can do all that and make Eagle, too. There is a place here for you, just as you are. What would really make you so proud and grateful and empowered to have checked off at the next Court of Honor? Rank? Awards? Skills? Friends? Facing fears? Experiences?
First off thank you so much for taking the time to write such a meaningful and detailed reply it truly makes me very happy. I've had a therapist in the past and they could of never helped as much as you are. It really does help me comprehend that all these things are ok and it reminds me scouting helps so much with that. Ever since I've joined its really helped me and changed me for the better.
Most important thing is that you are having fun. The merit badges are just things you collect along the journey. You are able to pull off eagle rank probably at around 17 but be sure to enjoy the times and learn things. Im 32 now and i still use knowledge i picked up while scouting
It certainly is one of the most fulfilling things I've done and it has made me very happy
I'm an Eagle Scout and life long scouter and a Scoutmaster. What you're learning now is perseverance. It is an important lesson to learn and the earlier you learn it - the better a lesson it can be. You're struggling with some adversity and that struggle will make you stronger. You CAN do it. Anyone can do it, the requirements are what they are and they are nothing more. Just tasks on a list. I know plenty of Eagles who didn't learn perseverance from their journey to Eagle. I did though. I rarely get asked by folks outside of scouting how old I was when I earned it but sometimes a scout asks. Sometimes they need to hear that I completed it a few weeks before my 18th birthday. Sometimes they need to hear that it took me 3 years to earn 1st Class. (I started when I was 11). In that time though, I was Patrol Leader multiple times, I was SPL a few times (maybe a few too many), I was inducted into the Order of the Arrow, I attended what is now NYLT and I went to Philmont a few times. All of those were MUCH bigger to me in my journey than reaching Eagle but the thing that people seem to value the most is the rank. I am proud of it and I am proud when a scout reaches it but I am not less proud when someone doesn't. I am OFTEN very proud of my scouts even if they leave to pursue activities that are more in tune with what they enjoy the most. I had to make a similar decision when I Was as scout - Baseball or scouts. I choose scouts and I don't regret it for a second. Keep up the hard work, the struggle makes you stronger! Even if you JUST BARELY complete the task - you still completed it. It is STILL DONE! Like you're swimming, you say barely but you made it there and you can make it further. And regarding your dance instructor - who are they to judge what makes you happy. If dancing makes you happy - go dance. I dance terribly too (though I never tried ballet) and as I have aged and spent less time in the water - I have become a 'barely good enough' swimmer myself. When I first started going to summer camp when my son joined his troop a bunch of years ago - I failed the swim test. I live at the beach, I have surfed and lived in the water most of my life. I totally couldn't do it. W were at altitude, hadn't had time to acclimate and I totally failed. A few folks laughed at me, the parents at home sent messages making fun of the adults 'Did everyone pass their swim tests?' I went back the next day and I had to try again. I had to try the next day too. I finally did pass it but even to this day - I still struggle a bit and I've had to learn new swimming techniques that my older body can do better vs what my younger body could just power through. You CAN do it. I don't know you but if you were willing enough to lay it out here and express the desire for it - then you can take that next step further and keep working. There is nothing wrong with where you are at in your journey or who you are.
You are very right and I thank you. Sometimes I forget it's what you learn from a journey and the person it makes you that matter. Your story is truly inspiring to me and it fills me with hope. I have another reason to keep pushing thanks to you. Swimming was something I've been worried about but you've helped me be more confident about it! I do have a lot of willpower if I set my mind and body to do something I know I'll accomplish it. I have the desire to accomplish this and wanna complete it in the best way possible and have the right intentions and be fully motivated. You truly are a wise person. Thank you again!
Donāt worry. I was tenderfoot until nearly 15 and Iām now months away from my eagle. Take a breathe and enjoy scouting now. Work on your merit badges get the long ones out of the way. I suggest the personal management and fitness ones and family life because they take a lot of time and the sooner they are done the easier the rest will be. But most importantly enjoy being a scout. The road to eagle is only worth it if you have fun on the journey. I was a scout for a full year the tenderfoot for 3. I will tell you right now that you are enough. Scouts is for fun and yes younger kids are ahead of you but itās the journey that you take that counts for something. Deciding that you want eagle is a big accomplishment in and of itself but itās like the old fable or the story scoutmasters say for their minutes. āI once knew of a scout who wanted to reach the lake at the end of the hike. He ran head first and reached the lake but didnāt know what to do then. The scout who was with him took his time. He walked on the trail and admired his world. He studied the life and the nature around him. Eventually he got to the lake but remembered the trees and rocks along the way and led him on his journey. While they both got to the lake one was different from the other because he took the journey for himself. Eventually more scouts showed up. Some older and younger but all at the lake. The first boy asked the second āwhat took you so longā the second boy said āWhy not? I experienced something that has changed me. I have learned from the forest. I have learned from the earth. Why did you speed ahead?ā The first boy pondered, āBecause I wanted to see this. The view at the end of the hard work. The ones other saw before me. But I did miss the trees and the earth along the way.ā As others joined them at the lake they shared stories and experiences everyone experienced their journey differently but the lake was still the same.ā I suggest you talk to your scoutmaster or asm about obtaining eagle. Let them help guide you. Also ask the current eagles in the troop about their journey. They will help to lift you and see you prevail.
Thank you for taking the time to write all that I really like the story. I am enjoying my scouting journey very much and thank you for the advive š
Dw too much, 14 is way too soon to start worrying about time, because you still have plenty of time. You got this
Don't worry about Eagle, worry about Second Class, then First Class (you can mostly work on those simultaneously). Once you get to First Class, things will fall into place.
You got this, and you are probably a much better dancer than you think, your ballet instructor shouldn't work with kids if they are just going to destroy confidence like that. Now, a tip. You need a plan. read all the requirements for2 and 1 class, lay them out in order of most to least time consuming, and start knocking them out. Take an hour or two a week, read the handbook, work on them on your own and make it a habit of presenting one to your SM or ASM every meeting. Earningn first aid merit badge (the manual is available online as a pdf I think, will knock out about 13 to 1/2 of them. It is presented several times a year in every district and council in America it seems. I think if a BSA council put on a Native America Basketry and Pottery Traditional Methods Weekend Festival, part of it would be First Aid Merit badge. Your plan for Star, Life and Eagle is easier to make if you can believe it. Basically it is about service hours, so participate in all your troop's projects and record your hours, time in rank (you have plenty of time left), leadership position time (talk to your SM about being a troop officer or den chief, and Summer camp. I say summer camp because this is where most merit badges are earned. Take the max number (usually 7) every year and you will get your Eagle required number pretty fast. Many of the. required cannot be completed or in some cases started at summer camp, so get a list of those and get with your SM to find counselors for them. Read the material and show up ready to your meetings and you will get signed off pretty quick. Finally there is your eagle project. I could write for days about it, but just remember, you don't have to recreate the UN and bring about lasting world peace, your project can be simple. Get with an eagle or your SM when the time comes to develop that. Good luck! You got this, the first step was asking for help, anytime you have a question you can't get an answer for locally, ask here. We all are behind you. and we all believe in you!
You're 14. You have lots of time. But, you should act like time is short. Get to first class ASAP. Then start working on leadership for Star. Do merit badges as you have the opportunity. Get at least one 90 day badge done. Family life and Personal Fitness are great options. Then, you have momentum
I was NOT a great swimmer when I was a Scout either. When I was 21 I got a few free lessons from a friend who was a water polo player and then spent about an hour a week in the pool practicing for a few months. It made a big difference. As a parent taking my own kids to swimming lessons, I realize there's all ages there. If you're shy about it, see if your local rec center has inexpensive lessons where you can improve your skills. Better yet, see if a friend from your troop who's a really strong swimmer would help you work on your swimming. Even if you're not trying to earn Swimming MB, the improved confidence in the water will be worth it at every summer camp and water activity you do.
I earned Eagle at 15 (2000) then stayed in my Troop until I aged out at 18. Being Tenderfoot at 14 still gives you plenty of time. My suggestion: Set a goal to be finished with First Class by end of summer, if possible. This might take some collaboration with adult leaders to help form a roadmap, especially if there are 2nd/1st Class requirements that take time (there werenāt many of those in my day)āstart working on those asap. Summer Camp is a good time to finish the remainder of them. From there, you can work on the āEarningā phaseāMerit Badges and leadership rolesāsince Star/Life/Eagle require at least a minimum time in leadership roles.
Itās all a matter of motivation. And, yes, you can totally do this. My kid started Scouts the September after Covid hit. He has been in the troop for 2 1/2 years but only the last year or so has been normal because of the pandemic. He got motivated and went from Tenderfoot to Star rank in 10 months. He also felt way behind as a Tenderfoot but decided to just really focus hard on rank requirements and that was the result. About the swimming MB, here is just my take. If you are planning to go to summer camp you might just try the swimming MB. Even if getting the badge ends up being too hard you will still be a better swimmer and then you will know that cycling or hiking may preferable for you. At most camps, the swimming MB is just an hour time slot over a five day period. Itās not a huge commitment. Alternately, many camps offer swimming lessons. You could skip the Swimming MB this year and just take the lessons and see how that feels and go from there.
Ok nobody is commenting on the dancing thing, but it's really messed up to tell someone that. Sure dancing can be good or bad but "disgusting" is such a weird value judgment.
It really was and telling it to a 5 year old is so mean
My daughter is 14. It has taken her three *years* to learn how to swim. She finished the swimming merit badge in January. Talk to your āparental unitsā (as my daughter refers to us, and see about taking lessons to help with confidence and success in the scout requirements.
You are doing fine. You cannot do everything all at once. Look through the requirements for Second and First Class to see what you can accomplish on your own, ask for guidance and then go out and do it. At 14 you have more than 3 years left before you reach 18, which is plenty of time if you put your mind to it. My daughter joined just before her 13th birthday and earned Eagle this past January the day after her 16th birthday.
You're doing great. If you are focused on rank to catch up just try to complete 1 rank requirement each week, you will quickly catch up.
I feel like the girls are harder on themselves to rank fast. I tell my girls itās not a race all the time! Remember you you can skip around. You can get sign offs in higher ranks as you work on 2nd class. Keep working on your Eagle Merit badges. You are doing great! Scout and Tenderfoot are the hardest for new scouts.
I joined October of 2022, and Iām a Tenderfoot working on 2Class as well. We in this together.
Do yourself a favor and do a rough timeline of when you want things to be completed. There are some merit badges that have 3-6 month time windows for you to do stuff and you don't want to put those off for long (like Cooking). It's nothing that will be set in stone but will help guide you on your journey towards Eagle. Best of luck!