My son finally was pronounced an Eagle Scout last Thursday night. He turns 18 in January. This was the culmination of a trail that began 12 years ago when he was just a little Tiger Cub in the 1st Grade. Along this trail he and I have sweated and froze through all kinds of weather, in all kinds of terrain, in tents or just on the bare ground. He's suffered through countless mind-numbing boring Scout meetings (in his opinion, at least), tasted the best and worst of camp cuisine (some of each prepared by his own hand), known feast and famine, put together hundreds (seemingly) of food and clothing drives, participated in hundreds of hours of fund-raisers, easily a hundred weekend campouts, 6 2-week summer camps, 4 week-long winter camps, 39 merit badges, undergone some pretty intense leadership training (the kind corporations spend thousands of dollars on for their employees), and been in charge of as many as 96 boys and 30 adults at one time (we have a very large troop). And through it all he has complained very little, yet I know ther were times when the only reason he persisted was to please me and his mom.
Right up to the time of his Board of Review, he regarded this as just another hurdle to get out of the way so he could get on with his life and begin a new chapter. But a magical thing happened when the District Rep told him he was now an Eagle Scout: as the District guy was explaining the significance of this award, my son began to recall, almost in a flash, all the things I outlined for you above, and tie all those experiences together, and to realize just what an elite group he was now a part of. He began to feel excited and pleased and proud, and he did not expect to feel that way.
It's awsome, as a parent, to see your kid(s) reach this kind of milestone and receive the recognition they deserve. Not only are we proud of him and his accomplishments, but were busting with joy for his happiness, as well.
Oh, he still thinks we're dumber than dirt, sometimes. And he wants to do his own thing. But I think the kid's gonna be alright.
