Scouts and Achievements

I don't seem to remember Scouts the way it is today.

I remember doing a lot of my badges and such at Scouts.  I know my Mom egged me on to do the work on my badges at home as well.  But how much of the heavy lifting on those projects were my Mom?

This topic comes up since my oldest (8 yr old) is in Scouts.  It seems like the bulk of the work is on the parent to organize these activities and help get the badges/achievements/etc done.

Perhaps that is the way I am approaching it and I should just say, "Hey, you want to earn your next level, then suck it up buttercup, read the book, and just do it."  I will check in with my Mom and see how it worked in our house, back in the "old days".

I'd like to help foster a sense of independence in my son to achieve goals on his own.  But I wonder, is that a taught lesson or an innate ability.

I know a lot of friends that tried Scouts for a short time or never did try since their parents felt it was too much work.  Was I just lucky to have a Mom to do the heavy lifting to get me off my ass to achieve these things?

If I can't remember then perhaps my extra prodding today will lead to goal oriented adults in my sons like I am today.

Parenting is like this multi-year study in which you get to know if you screwed up or were a success a long time from now.