Wolf Den Picnic

If you know me at all then you know that I love to host a get-together so when there was a suggestion in the scout book to have a Wolf Den Picnic I was all over it. This last Tuesday we invited the boys and their families over for "s'more" fun. We started by teaching the boys how to build, light and maintain a fire. Then each of the boys cooked dinner for their families. They had fun roasting the hot dogs. Trying to get all three done at the same time proved to be quite a challenge for them. Luckily everyone was pretty hungry so there weren't any complaints. I have a fantastic calling. I love giving these great boys the opportunity to learn. I feel like it has really opened my eyes to what Spencer is capable of. I don't think I was giving him enough credit before. However, with that realization there is a flip side. I expect more out of him now. I expect better behavior and more obedience, more responsibility and more follow-through. It is hard for me to find a good balance between the little boy he recently passed up and the little man he is. I think Gary and I do a good job of teaching these things and then something happens that makes me question myself. After the scouts cooked their first three hot dogs they went to the table to pull them off the sticks. Being 8 years old, they began to pick out which one they wanted. I then reminded them that they needed to serve their parents first, siblings next and themselves last. I guess I just assumed that "cooking for your family" meant that. I think my biggest thing right now is teaching respect. There are simple things I expect my children to know and follow. Things like the golden rule (which encompasses alot), personal space (theirs and others), no back talk (especially to an adult). But I didn't realize that these things are so learned. I never really thought about them not being innate. I think this has been a great calling for me at this stage in my life. I really enjoy it. I have learned so much about myself and even more about my kids, Spencer in particular. Sorry, I'm babbling...So after dinner the scouts did a skit about sitting on an invisible bench and then falling down, it was funny and they loved being the root of the laughs. We played a game and finished with s'mores. It was such fun. All the kids played so well and the adults were able to chat and visit and get to know each other. I think everyone really enjoyed it.