My Way

A couple of the better examples of the lengths kids go to for the purpose of having their way:

1. To get back to the main camp area we have to walk down a dirt road. This act is surprisingly tedious when trying to manage 10 6 and 7 year olds. In all likelihood, it would have been easier to herd that many cats down that road. Regardless, we managed. We did so by having some simple rules, like “NO RUNNING.”

   This was a rule that the kids tested often as the walk would often progress into a contest to be in front and from there it turned into an all out sprint. When we yelled at them to stop, all but on of them did. That one didn’t stop until the conditions of a yell to STOP and his being in front of everyone else was met.

   I told him to give me ten push-ups for not running and not listening. He gave me the ten push-ups and when he completed them, I reminded him again not to run. During his push-ups, he had forfeited his leading position. So, he started skipping. I was ready for him and told him to give me 10 more push-ups.

   He whirled around exclaiming “WHAT!? I wasn’t RUNNING!”

2. The flag ceremony for Scouts is an activity that starts and ends the day. During the ceremony, the US Flag as well as State and Scouting flags are either raised or lowered. Accordingly, all the Scouts are supposed to stand at attention.

   I don’t know if it’s just our 6 and 7 year olds, or the age in general, but of everyone they were the only group who couldn’t just stand there. They fidget, they talk, they sit down, they stand up, they shuck, they jive. The one I clamped down on today had sat down. So I went over, picked him up and set him back on his feet.

   When I’d returned to my spot in the behind the kids, he half turned to see where I was and in doing so, “tangled” his feet and fell down. Hmm- I’m probably not being clear. Let’s put it this way: he deliberately flopped back to the ground. He then inspected his shoe and noted that it was untied, so he started to tie it. I watched as he tied it, decided it wasn’t to his liking and untied it, attempted to retie it, muffed, and started again.

   That’s how badly he wanted to be sitting.

   So I walked over to him, tied his shoe, double knotted it and stood him up again. That was just before the final flag was lowered and we were finally dismissed for the day.