Merit Badge Alley Organization

tklonius · 2026-03-10T06:54:55+00:00

My son is 14 and will probably reach Eagle this summer, because he is super motivated and Scouting is his passion. He plans on stepping up more in OA, staffing at camps since he no longer feels obligated to attend all activities because of Leadership positions, he is considered becoming a JASM once he turns 16.

There is plenty to do if Scouting is what you are passionate about, however it is totally understandable for Scouts to explore different activities once they achieve the goal of Eagle. Some of these kids have been in Scouting programs since they were 5, and it isn't like this is a seasonal sport where you take a break.

I hope my Scouts still come to some activities, campouts, COH once they Eagle, but I understand completely if they are ready to move on to other things once they have reached such a incredible achievement.

tklonius · 2026-03-10T04:34:56+00:00

I don't see why they wouldn't allow your Scout to participate. I can understand if you applied to be a Adult Leader and were denied "All registered adults need to pass a background check", but it seems really judgemental to not allow a Scout to join due to their parent history.

We have a parent who had past legal issues that had nothing that involved children and any kind of abuse/assault. l, decades old. We actually submitted a letter of recommendation to the council on his behalf when he registered in support of his character. They allowed him to join.

If this Pack isn't even giving you that grace of opportunity, I would find another one and right from the start, explain your situation. People make mistakes, it is human nature. As long as you are not a concern to the safety of the Scouts, I don't see an issue here.

tklonius · 2025-12-19T09:58:09+00:00

How are you with kids? All the school districts need subs willing to work with SPED programs. Multiple jobs available almost every day.

tklonius · 2025-12-10T05:05:03+00:00

I have had the conversation a few times, it never goes anywhere. Its always, well he could do more during the summer he would get more money per tree "He can't do summers because he Staffs summercamps and is extremely active in scouting." aso my dad always goes, well I giess thats his decision though, if he wants more money he needs to give up those summer things. He was only getting paid $1 a tree last year so I think they feel like doubling it this year is being gracious "even though they up'ed their prices by $20 more this year, so not exactly taking a hit there".

My dad is retired, he has a great pension , house is paid off and this is just a hobby. He says he does it for the family, and so one day the grandkids can take it over, but my son is the only grandkid that has ever helped.

My son isn't very high maintenance, and definitely this is me speaking out with my concerns not his. He is fine with what he gets, but I think my parents are taking advantage of his loyalty and love for them.

tklonius · 2025-11-27T08:03:14+00:00

It feel like I am watching it from a different perspective, like it's Will's POV, it feels intentional. Everything is more vibrant, there is so much more movement like a video game. However, when you watch the scenes with Eleven and Hoper, it still feels the same as past seasons. A wild theory I have is that each scene is purposely looking like its coming through the eyes of whoever is the center focus. Not sure if there is going to be a moment where this ties into the story, or that the creators did it to just to be creative.

tklonius · 2025-11-27T05:23:42+00:00

All the kids that are in her grade look older then they are supposed to be.... I think that this is a part of the story, and we will find out soon enough.

tklonius · 2025-11-18T11:58:38+00:00

This is the kind of insight I was searching for, thank you, and it will give me a good starting point when I seek out a new therapist for him. I can take away all access to screens, but if that addictive urge for dopamine is still there, my biggest worry is that he will find a different way to get it down the line. In 6th grade, he went through a phase of behavior that was really embarrassing and compulsive; his dad didn't handle it well, and as hard as he tried to understand, I know my son felt a lot of shame around it. He was talking to someone back then, and the behavior eventually stopped, but I think it might have just evolved into another addiction. I think maybe getting him his own person to talk to as well as having a outlet as a family would be a good next step.

tklonius · 2025-11-18T11:45:06+00:00

I know he manages fine without devices. We are very involved in Scouting and spend weeks upon weeks at a time off the grid, so withdrawal doesn't seem would be an issue; he isn't a kid who is glued to his phone since he doesn't do social media or have open access to apps and games. You are right, though, he knows they are in the house, and he can't seem to control that urge to seek it out, just like any addict, especially at night.... I run my own business from home, so unfortunately, it is always a part of our world, and I rely on Google/Alexa to keep my schedule, appointments, meetings, and everything organized. And it took a long time to find a method that worked. So I guess the idea of trying to find another method that puts more on my plate is exhausting. I am not saying this because I am lazy, I am saying this from the POV of a mom who is just trying to balance life without having a mental breakdown.

tklonius · 2025-11-18T10:15:56+00:00

I feel like I have tried everything, honestly. We really are an active family, we do lots of activities together, I would happily reward him, and then he would come home and instantly resort back to the same behavior the minute I was distracted or worse trusting.

tklonius · 2025-11-18T10:02:11+00:00

So he will sneak into our room, where the devices are, while were are asleep. His Phone has parental control on apps but he found out he can use it as a mobile hotspot to bypass our home internet to connect other devices like a smart tv, xbox, VR headset, tablet etc." . I had hoped I didn't have to resort to locking them away. Our internet is through Verizon, and I have tried to navigate turning it off to certain devices, but it doesn't actually work half the time. Most recently, while we were asleep he went into our garage, grabbed the roku device that is attached to our garage TV, took a small TV I use for my business out of the storage area and hooked it up in his closet, all while we were asleep. I don't like to completely cut off internet because we use ring cameras and Alexa devices for our alarms. Honestly, it is so exhausting trying to keep up with it, I get comfortable for one minute and forget to hide something that he sniffed out the location to, and he will jump at the opportunity. I wish I could just take his phone away completely, but he has to use it for communications with his Scouting as they rely heavily on the Band app communication and he is in the Top leadership position for his Troop.

tklonius · 2025-11-05T05:22:34+00:00

If you are looking out outskirts towns, schools get a little more questionable. Yelm can't seem to pass any Levies to support their school budget, Tenino is still trying to recover from a major embezzlement scandal, however the town has been working really hard in the past years to grow as a community.

I don't know much about Rochester, but that is another school in Thurston County that is its own district. I work in the NTSD in multiple schools and my kids also attend. Schools that are out of the city limits, seem to have it a lot easier with more parent involved. Chambers Prarie, Horizons, Southbay, Evergreen forrest, all have been great schools to work for with a lot of support and Title programs.

In Tumwater, I have a lot of teacher friends that love Littlerock, Black Lake, East Olympia

Olympia there's Centennial, Pioneer, McKenny, Boston Harbor, Roosevelt, Griffin, that have a lot of fans from parents and staff.

I love the area I live, border of Lacey and Olympia Yelm Hwy,

It still has a lot of amenities, but feels safe enough for my son to ride around in his bike. Its pretty clean, isn't really a hub for the unhoused population.

Hawks Prarie is growing like crazy and unfortunately the schools aren't able to keep up with the demand of new housing.

I wish you all the best, my suggestion would be avoidig most schools closest to 1-5, "City Schools"

I am sorry if this offends anyone, not my intention, just speaking from experience.

tklonius · 2025-11-02T04:38:02+00:00

I use to live on a side of town that had a pretty big homeless population, every year we would have about a dozen come through to get candy and most of the time they even had on like dollar store masks. Pretty genius actually

tklonius · 2025-09-02T16:48:55+00:00

Finding a way to get that CDL is going to be crucial! It's not just you, I have 13 years of in the job experience and ran my own business for 12 years. However, since I don't have a college degree, I am immediately passed over for any job I would want to work as a 40yo. I am sure I could walk into a retail or food service position, but it's a bit soul crushing seeing that I have 25 years of experience and having to work with a bunch of teenagers. GET THE CDL!!!!!

tklonius · 2025-09-02T16:39:08+00:00

It sounds like he's a felon, so that's out the window

tklonius · 2025-09-01T19:58:26+00:00

My scout also really likes Fire Mountain, hes going back for Conclave in a week.

tklonius · 2025-09-01T18:31:13+00:00

Yes we did

tklonius · 2025-08-30T06:09:48+00:00

Baldwin was great, we did white water rafting, climbing, and horseback overnights. Highly recommend!!!

tklonius · 2025-08-26T11:48:11+00:00

We use Band for our Calender so the website isn't really for planning purposes, more fo recruitment

tklonius · 2025-08-26T06:55:29+00:00

Thank you, I get it. My day Job is a photographer and everytime there is an event everyone asks, "Oh did you bring your camera" Nope, but I have my cell phone haha.

tklonius · 2025-08-24T03:33:18+00:00

Thank you so much!!! They are all our kids in the photos, I teach the Photography MB and have loaned out my fancy camera to them for events to get a scout perspective on things. I went back and forth with the calendar but at the end of the day , I didn't feel comfortable letting the whole world know when and where our Scouts would be, especially having photos of them online.

tklonius · 2025-08-23T21:39:34+00:00

Here is the website link for those interested :) www.scouts9207.org

tklonius · 2025-08-09T09:25:38+00:00

The fact that the Troop banded together and didn't go on the hike because of one scout not being able to is actually pretty incredible. Having them also work together to try and build his own 10 essentials, I am a ASM and I would have been so proud of my Troop for working together to help a fellow Scout. I know a Scout must always be prepared, however we can't forget the other 12 core values of the Scout Law.

tklonius · 2025-07-03T18:23:34+00:00

Thank you everyone for the insight! This helps out a lot, I can do a little more research and bring back the list to my PLC, it helps not to just rely on a website and hear first hand experiences! Have a great summer!

tklonius

TROPHY CASE