Boy Scouts Medical Requirements
#166
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 12,894
Re: Boy Scouts Medical Requirements
The reality is that some parents lie about this stuff for a variety of reasons. Fear of embarrassment. Fear that their kid won't be allowed to attend etc.
#167
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2011
Location: Ohio
Posts: 1,834
Re: Boy Scouts Medical Requirements
Some parents send their kids to summer camp BECAUSE they don't do any other sports or extracurriculars year-round, and think it will be good for Little Johnny to get fit and make some friends in the real world rather than the Internet. They will genuinely have no clue whether LJ is physically capable of doing several weeks of strenuous outdoor activities, and even if they had a pretty good idea he couldn't (and would therefore be a drag on the group, not because they're thinking he might keel over), they'd lie in case he otherwise didn't get admitted.
For DL's kid, the medical is almost certainly not necessary, but the summer camp's head organisation doesn't know that. They usually don't know any of these kids until they step off the bus one bright Saturday afternoon.
So a 5 minute medical it is. The alternative is that summer camps with physically-demanding activities stop running, and I don't want that to happen.
And, as a side benefit, it really doesn't kill for an almost-teen to take a once-a-year 5 minute interest in his health, and to start to develop a doctor-patient relationship. In a year or two, his parents won't be in the room with him, having the conversation for him, and he might be at an age where he doesn't want to have conversations with them about personal medical stuff at home. What does he do then, given no-one's ever told him that doctors are friendly, approachable people who he can see just for a general chat; that he doesn't actually have to have a temperature of 104 or be passing out with pain to visit one?
#168
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Re: Boy Scouts Medical Requirements
Kodokan, thanks for a thoughtful reply.
The thread has raised some interesting points but if it were me I would mutter a bit and go along with it, more important for the boy to go and have fun (my son wasn't in the scouts so it didn't come up). So Dlake I think that's what you should do. Minimize the importance of it for your son and just look forward to the camp.
The thread has raised some interesting points but if it were me I would mutter a bit and go along with it, more important for the boy to go and have fun (my son wasn't in the scouts so it didn't come up). So Dlake I think that's what you should do. Minimize the importance of it for your son and just look forward to the camp.
#170
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2011
Location: West Sussex - did 3 years in the US...
Posts: 577
Re: Boy Scouts Medical Requirements
Kodokan, thanks for a thoughtful reply.
The thread has raised some interesting points but if it were me I would mutter a bit and go along with it, more important for the boy to go and have fun (my son wasn't in the scouts so it didn't come up). So Dlake I think that's what you should do. Minimize the importance of it for your son and just look forward to the camp.
The thread has raised some interesting points but if it were me I would mutter a bit and go along with it, more important for the boy to go and have fun (my son wasn't in the scouts so it didn't come up). So Dlake I think that's what you should do. Minimize the importance of it for your son and just look forward to the camp.
Isn't that strange ? No choice in the land of "free !"
The more time I spend here, the more I feel this is as much a police state as any of the old Eastern Bloc. Conformity, expectations, do not question authority, etc.
We HAVE to get back to the UK at the end of middle school - the sooner my son learns that rules exist to be challenged not slavishly obeyed, the better.
Ho hum.
#171
Re: Boy Scouts Medical Requirements
And there are plenty of very intelligent, thoughtful people in this country too, many of whom want to make both this country and the world a better place. It is better not to generalize about, and condemn, an entire country and people - that is a very right-wing characteristic (not saying you are, just that it is). There is plenty to criticize about the UK, too, yet we would defend it against similar generalizations.
#172
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2011
Location: West Sussex - did 3 years in the US...
Posts: 577
Re: Boy Scouts Medical Requirements
Just pointing out that you can teach him that. I have mine.
And there are plenty of very intelligent, thoughtful people in this country too, many of whom want to make both this country and the world a better place. It is better not to generalize about, and condemn, an entire country and people - that is a very right-wing characteristic (not saying you are, just that it is). There is plenty to criticize about the UK, too, yet we would defend it against similar generalizations.
And there are plenty of very intelligent, thoughtful people in this country too, many of whom want to make both this country and the world a better place. It is better not to generalize about, and condemn, an entire country and people - that is a very right-wing characteristic (not saying you are, just that it is). There is plenty to criticize about the UK, too, yet we would defend it against similar generalizations.
It's just that they are being drowned out by the noises from the 47%.
There is PLENTY to criticise in the UK, and it is right to be critical and question. My gut feel, having lived here 2 years, is that people in the UK and EU in general are much more comfortable telling a jumped-up official or stupid rule-maker exactly where to get off. In both my personal and professional life here, I generally find that people obey, without question, rules, regulations, forms, mandates, etc, etc.
If you do that, you are driven by the system rather than driving the system, and I sense a lot of people here have a fatalistic view of "it's the system - we have to do it."
I find that a very oppressive atmosphere to live in.
#173
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Re: Boy Scouts Medical Requirements
There are MANY intelligent, thoughtful people in this country. In fact, 53% of the country are intelligent and thoughtful judging by the last election.
It's just that they are being drowned out by the noises from the 47%.
There is PLENTY to criticise in the UK, and it is right to be critical and question. My gut feel, having lived here 2 years, is that people in the UK and EU in general are much more comfortable telling a jumped-up official or stupid rule-maker exactly where to get off. In both my personal and professional life here, I generally find that people obey, without question, rules, regulations, forms, mandates, etc, etc.
If you do that, you are driven by the system rather than driving the system, and I sense a lot of people here have a fatalistic view of "it's the system - we have to do it."
I find that a very oppressive atmosphere to live in.
It's just that they are being drowned out by the noises from the 47%.
There is PLENTY to criticise in the UK, and it is right to be critical and question. My gut feel, having lived here 2 years, is that people in the UK and EU in general are much more comfortable telling a jumped-up official or stupid rule-maker exactly where to get off. In both my personal and professional life here, I generally find that people obey, without question, rules, regulations, forms, mandates, etc, etc.
If you do that, you are driven by the system rather than driving the system, and I sense a lot of people here have a fatalistic view of "it's the system - we have to do it."
I find that a very oppressive atmosphere to live in.
#175
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2011
Location: West Sussex - did 3 years in the US...
Posts: 577
Re: Boy Scouts Medical Requirements
Within ************, we have a mailing list called "clueless." It covers most of the world but is mostly frequented by our American friends. There has been a heated debate about the rights and wrong of Internet financing, the overwhelming conclusion being that the US model of free-market financing is RIGHT whilst the EU model of public/private operators with government subsidies is WRONG (discussion kicked off around why is the US the most expensive and slowest in terms of Broadband in the developed world from the NY Times.).
Anyway, to cut a long story short, one American contributor put some crap about how you cannot have government subsidies for anything because that is a Nanny-State, and the US is Free. When I mentioned that as a European with experience of living in five countries across two continents I found the US Nanny-"State" (bringing up this example of mandated health tests by a private organisation) to be far more oppressive and conformist than anything I'd experienced in the EU, the audience split along EU/US lines to-a-man.
Purgamentum init, exit purgamentum
Last edited by dlake02; Nov 29th 2012 at 9:38 am.
#176
Banned
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,065
Re: Boy Scouts Medical Requirements
HA !!! I used to have "nil carborundum illegitimi" on my email signature at work in the UK. I was asked to remove it here in the US as it "may cause offence."
Within ************, we have a mailing list called "clueless." It covers most of the world but is mostly frequented by our American friends. There has been a heated debate about the rights and wrong of Internet financing, the overwhelming conclusion being that the US model of free-market financing is RIGHT whilst the EU model of public/private operators with government subsidies is WRONG (discussion kicked off around why is the US the most expensive and slowest in terms of Broadband in the developed world from the NY Times.).
Anyway, to cut a long story short, one American contributor put some crap about how you cannot have government subsidies for anything because that is a Nanny-State, and the US is Free. When I mentioned that as a European with experience of living in five countries across two continents I found the US Nanny-"State" (bringing up this example of mandated health tests by a private organisation) to be far more oppressive and conformist than anything I'd experienced in the EU, the audience split along EU/US lines to-a-man.
Purgamentum init, exit purgamentum
Within ************, we have a mailing list called "clueless." It covers most of the world but is mostly frequented by our American friends. There has been a heated debate about the rights and wrong of Internet financing, the overwhelming conclusion being that the US model of free-market financing is RIGHT whilst the EU model of public/private operators with government subsidies is WRONG (discussion kicked off around why is the US the most expensive and slowest in terms of Broadband in the developed world from the NY Times.).
Anyway, to cut a long story short, one American contributor put some crap about how you cannot have government subsidies for anything because that is a Nanny-State, and the US is Free. When I mentioned that as a European with experience of living in five countries across two continents I found the US Nanny-"State" (bringing up this example of mandated health tests by a private organisation) to be far more oppressive and conformist than anything I'd experienced in the EU, the audience split along EU/US lines to-a-man.
Purgamentum init, exit purgamentum
#177
Re: Boy Scouts Medical Requirements
we have done various boy scout camps and been required to do the medical forms. HOWEVER- the camps we have done have only required some PARTS of the form to be completed - ie we have not yet HAD to have done the physical exam sheet. If this was required - I would simply give the form to our regular pediatrician and ask them to complete the form based on his last wellcheck visit (annual). SO ASK if you have to do EVERY part of the form.
my son has adhd and has quarterly medicine checkups to ensure he is doing okay - and they take blood pressure every time. Last week he had croup and was seen at the urgent care and they also took his blood pressure. The first time he was ever required to get the blood pressure taken was at his green card medical and he pitched an absolute fit at the thing squeezing his arm - but totally takes it in his stride now.
my son has adhd and has quarterly medicine checkups to ensure he is doing okay - and they take blood pressure every time. Last week he had croup and was seen at the urgent care and they also took his blood pressure. The first time he was ever required to get the blood pressure taken was at his green card medical and he pitched an absolute fit at the thing squeezing his arm - but totally takes it in his stride now.
#179
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2011
Location: West Sussex - did 3 years in the US...
Posts: 577
Re: Boy Scouts Medical Requirements
If this was required - I would simply give the form to our regular pediatrician and ask them to complete the form based on his last wellcheck visit (annual).
SO ASK if you have to do EVERY part of the form
Now what is really winding me up about this is that a) when we told them at Cubs that son had been away for 4 or 5 night camps 3 times a year with Cubs in the UK since aged 5, they looked at us with utter disbelief ! The FIRST time some of the children had ever spent a night away from their parents was for 5th Grade Science camp !
So, he is used to being away from home, under canvass, etc, etc. Very well-adjusted child, highly independent, very much an individual with his own thoughts and a VERY healthy dis-regard for authority and rules, but a very strong sense of moral right-and-wrong and building some political views (aged 11 !) that are to the left of mine. I have hope for the future....
But, I'm obviously a nasty horrible ogre that really cares nothing for the medical health of his child and would gladly palm him off at the first opportunity.
#180
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2011
Location: West Sussex - did 3 years in the US...
Posts: 577
Re: Boy Scouts Medical Requirements
Why do kids need to be glued to their parents 24/7 and 365/365 ? Cub Scouts here is SO lame with far too much parental involvement and molly-coddling.
We take two/three "family" holidays per year, one back to the UK to see family, two doing "things" whilst we are here. See the country, etc.
As he is an only-child, it is important that he learns to interact with other children, and Scouts and camp is a great place to do that - to learn independence from their parents. So, for 2-3 weeks per year, he LOVES to go out camping with other kids, get away from his parents, etc. Makes it all the more lovely when he comes back - after he's had a shower....
Didn't you used to go away several times a year with school, Cubs, Scouts, etc ? I know I did from age 5, as did my wife.....
We take two/three "family" holidays per year, one back to the UK to see family, two doing "things" whilst we are here. See the country, etc.
As he is an only-child, it is important that he learns to interact with other children, and Scouts and camp is a great place to do that - to learn independence from their parents. So, for 2-3 weeks per year, he LOVES to go out camping with other kids, get away from his parents, etc. Makes it all the more lovely when he comes back - after he's had a shower....
Didn't you used to go away several times a year with school, Cubs, Scouts, etc ? I know I did from age 5, as did my wife.....