| Missypie, your S over came many more obstacles than most! Not only Asperger's but an unsupportive troop leadership.
I also had many disagreements with how our troop was run - we had an authoritarian Scoutmaster who had been with the troop for more than 10 years, and it was his way or the highway. When I wanted S to request recommendation letters in the spring so his teachers wouldn't be trying to do them at the same time they were doing college letters, and wanted to get all the Eagle stuff out of the way before fall of Sr year so we could concentrate on college stuff, he sent out a letter to the entire troop listing all the Eagles we've had in the last 10 years (a lot) and that all of them had done things the same way and in the same order, and stating that "some people who don't understand the rules" were expecting special exceptions for their own convenience, but that it wouldn't be allowed. I was LIVID. S & I read the entire Eagle handbook and understood the rules perfectly well - it just wasn't the order or timing the Scoutmaster wanted, but it was all within the rules. S ended up getting recommendations and completing paperwork in Sept of Sr year when he definitely had better things to be doing. I knew another Mom who YELLED at the scoutmaster because he dragged his feet so long that it took her son 6 extra months to start his project and his grandfather died before he made Eagle. I also knew 2 other families who switched to a different troop because they were determined to finish Eagle before senior year and they knew this Scoutmaster wouldn't let them. Funny though, one kid whose dad was on the Troop committee was allowed to make Eagle as a sophomore. Hmmmm.....
The sad part - S loved the hiking and camping. But he was so fed up with the Scoutmaster that once he made Eagle, the only time he went back was for the next year's Eagle ceremony. He has had no contact with the troop since then. Kind of a shame. |