“But I don’t wanna!”
You know how every week Zak is sitting out and being disengaged? How he pokes at Jimmy to upset him? How he does everything he can to get on your nerves?
Well, it’s not his fault. Nor is it yours. Sometimes, Cubs or Beavers don’t know how to articulate things that embarrass them. If you watch carefully, they will be engaged for a short while and then something will turn them away. When I was a Scouter at the HIghlanders, there was a youth who loved everything that was Cub Scouts but acted out, was rude, sit out during games and be disruptive.
The truth is, the Cub didn’t have coordination skills like the other Cubs. He wasn’t able to run fast, master the scissors or really do any crafts to their satisfaction. It took a few sessions of working with him for me to clue in what was really happening. The best solution we found to work with the Cub was to simplify tasks. When it came to photography, boy oh boy that Cub was engaged, and completely attentive. Ask him questions that stimulated his mind, and he was engaged. As him to run or do something that required dexterity skills, he was a trouble maker.
The lesson I took from working with this Cub was to not assume that all Cubs are forced to be there and don’t want to be there even though they are acting out and making Scouters assume that they are only with the Pack because their parents want them to be.
This is also where mixing up your program comes in handy. Making sure that all of the pack is enjoying the activities makes the Pack stronger.
Next time Zak is being disruptive, maybe take the Pack down a different path and see what happens.
