Making the Most of Every Moment

As many of us know, it’s tough for parents to best manage the time spent with their children. With so many competing youth activities, it can be particularly difficult for working parents who have busy calendars of their own.

Many parents are eager to find ways to make the most of every moment with their children, but so often kids find themselves in front of a screen anytime they get a spare moment, instead of participating in real world experiences.   The parents I’ve talked with tell me that they’re doing their best to balance screen time with youth sports, music, academics, and church or community activities. As a youth-serving organization, the Boy Scouts of America is committed to helping parents find this balance and make the most of every moment.

As a youth-serving organization, we continually review these needs and look for opportunities to assist parents by providing life-changing experiences through Scouting that their children can’t find anywhere else.  We realize there’s a small window to make a meaningful impact on children and shape who they may become as adults. Research shows that young people who participate in out-of-school activities are more likely than their non-participating peers to do well in school, get sufficient physical exercise, and avoid involvement in risky behaviors.

That’s why our new recruitment campaign that we are launching this fall is so important. The campaign, “Build an Adventure,” features fun and diverse adventures for youth, and demonstrates that Scouting builds a solid foundation of character, values and education that will stay with them throughout adulthood.

We want parents to know that there are new, innovative programs available through Scouting that provide fun ways for their children to do the right thing and have a positive impact on their communities. At the same time, they still get a chance to have fun while catching fish, climbing rocks, exploring caves, helping people, racing cars, camping out, making friends and much more.

It’s an exciting time for Scouting, and we hope parents will share in that excitement and explore how Scouting can provide new adventures for their children. The start of a new school year always brings fresh opportunities and challenges, and we hope Scouting can help bring some fun, life-changing experiences to youth across the country.

How do you strike a balance between what your children ought to be doing versus what they are doing?  Are you finding that time is slipping way that you could be spending with your children to keep pace with their lives?  These are difficult questions that many parents face and we hope to share some answers here on what’s working in your household – let us know!

If you’re involved in Scouting, I urge you to invite other families to a meeting. And, if you’ve never been asked to give Scouting a try, please accept this as my personal invitation. You can learn more at www.beascout.org.

Thanks!

Wayne