Why I'm thankful for the scouting program

I have an embarrassing confession. I am terrified of being alone, so much so that in the last few years anytime Ben had to be out of town for anything I either begged someone to stay with me or stayed with my parents.

It all changed when Ben got called to be in the Young Men's presidency in addition to being Asst. Scoutmaster. I learned that this calling required a monthly camp-out, sometimes more than 1 night at a time. That first night I was on my own was scary but with James keeping me company in bed I survived, barely. As the year went on I got braver but it was still tough.

Then Ben got called to be Scoutmaster and I learned that he would need to be at Scout Camp for the entire week. This would be longest we had been apart, especially after having kids. It would be an understatement to say I was not looking forward to it. James was excited about the fact that he would get to sleep in my bed for "lots of nights" but I don't think he realized exactly how long it would be. Ben got home yesterday and I have to say that I handled the week rather well. The house was cleaner than I expected, the kids were clean and happy, the laundry was caught up and there was food in the fridge. I felt like an actual grown-up and not a scaredy cat. If Ben hadn't been in Scouts I don't know how else I would have gotten to this point. Plus, it helps to be used to it now since I don't think they will ever release Ben. So that's one reason why I'm thankful for the Scouting program - it's helped me grow-up.

On Friday night we actually drove out to the campsite with my dad to check it out. I had no idea how big it was and how dirty all those boys would be! It was neat to see where Ben had lived the last week and to be apart of that. We had dinner with everyone, walked around camp and then went to their campfire. James was ecstatic. He honestly thought he was sleeping there and that he was a real Scout. At the campfire they retired an American flag and that was the first time I had seen anything like that. They started by telling the history of the design on the flag and then ended with the burning of it. It seriously made me emotional. I realized how thankful I am that these boys are being taught about our heritage and to respect the freedom that we have and the symbol of it. I feel like kids aren't learning that as much as I did when I was young and that makes me sad. I'm grateful for an organization that instills these values and makes a big deal out of it.

Another reason why I'm thankful for this program is because of how happy it makes Ben. He LOVES Scouting. He always has, his dream calling as always been Scoutmaster so he's pretty happy right now. They are lucky to have him because he knows everything about anything. These boys look up to him and are learning to love it as much as he does. Ben is the most amazing, knowledgeable, well-rounded husband and I attribute a major part of that to Scouts. I only hope that he's still in the program when it's James' turn. I never realized how time consuming it is but it's a major part of my life and will continue to be so for quite a few years so I've made peace with it. Plus, it won't hurt for the world to have some more men like Ben.