A Scout is clean….

BSA definition: A Scout keeps his body and mind fit and clean. He chooses the company of those who live by high standards. He helps keep his home and community clean.

        Being clean, a broad term we use, but rarely define. I think as parents we often see the wild stretches of the imagination of what clean could possibly be considered in the case of a teenage boy’s room. But what do we, as parents and role models expect clean to be? In the literal sense of the word, do we expect them to pass the white glove test? How well would we pass the white glove if we used it in our own rooms? We can’t lower our expectations for our scouts because we aren’t meeting the definition or idea of being clean. Being clean in mind and body can be difficult. Spend a week at Boxwell and you can understand the body part quite well. The good thing is, we are all in our scouting family together. Being a scout or scouter is choosing to live by a higher standard. I have often said, regardless of the differences of opinion, scouts all have the same core belief of the Scout Oath and Law. None of us are perfect, but together we can choose to keep our community clean by lifting each other up to higher standards. Just leave the white gloves out of it, please. As always, I look forward to our journey ahead, and hope we all remember to have fun along the way.

Yours in Scouting,

Scott Nodine