Family Life Q on the 3 mth chart

[Quailman]

Boy, if you only count the actual time spent doing the chores, then if it takes 1 hour to do all his chores each day then it would take 2160 calendar days to spend 90 days' time at them.

90 days means do them for a three month period. period.

[evmori]

Boy, if you only count the actual time spent doing the chores, then if it takes 1 hour to do all his chores each day then it would take 2160 calendar days to spend 90 days' time at them.

That's almost 6 years! Talk about slowing the advancement process down! There goes 1st Class 1st Year~

[MacQuarrie]

Ed

"... and do them for 90 days"

If a Scout only does chores 3 days a week then it will take the Scout 30 weeks to complete the 90 days.

I'd have to disagree.

You're reading it as meaning "do chores on 90 different days," but most people would read it as "do chores over a 90-day period." The second is far more reasonable, logical and sensible.

[milominderbinder2]

Ok I have been an Family Life MB counselor for years and have interpreted this line one way. But, I got a scout that did the 3 mths charting before coming to see me. If I interpreted it right, he has to redo the 3 mths.

Back to the original question.

Prepare a list of your regular home duties or chores (at least five) and do them for 90 days. Keep a record of how often you do each of them.

No where does it say with the counselor's prior approval. If they wanted to say that they would just like they do for Personal Fitness:

Outline a comprehensive 12-week physical fitness program using the results of your fitness tests. Be sure your program incorporates the endurance, intensity, and warm-up guidelines discussed in the Personal Fitness merit badge pamphlet. Before beginning your exercises, have the program approved by your counselor and parents.

There are 26 other merit badges that have at least one requirement that need prior counselor approval. Family Life is not one of them.

As to the definition of "Chore": the regular or daily light work of a household or farm

- Craig

[milominderbinder2]

...You see the scout never officially got the blue card to officially start the merit badge. Our Scoutmaster must be willing to back date the card in order for him to get the MB done in the next 2 weeks which is what he wants to do.

Please see this link:

Any Scout can work on any merit badge at any time.

If the BSA wanted to add a requirement to do the work since meeting with your counselor they would as they do in 27 other merit badges. But even in those cases it is only for specific requirements.

If they wanted to add a requirement to only count work done while a Scout they would add the wording like they use in Camping #9a.

The wording for requirements is gone over word by word by teams of experts and checked by attorneys. They argue over placement of commas.

If National means to add to a requirement, they can and will add to a requirement.

Unless stated otherwise, work done before signing a blue card does absolutely count.

- Craig

[smtroop168]

Craig...don't forget all the "leader lawyers" who interpret the requirements their own way.

If there is so much confusion over this stuff maybe the lawyers and experts need some additonal clarity in the wording or pictures (e.g. my MB sash issue).

Shouldn't we move this to the Eagle Required MB topic area?

[milominderbinder2]

A MBC does not have to accept work (chores) performed prior to meeting a Scout

Here is a summary of Boy Scout Requirements 2008, Introduction to Merit Badges, Call the Counselor.

A Scout must:

Get a signed merit badge application from your SM. (doesn’t have to be a blue card).

The counselor may ask to meet you and explain what is expected.

When you know what is expected, START to learn and do things required.

There is a clear sequence of events that a Scout must follow...

Mike, by your reasoning a boy who has collected coins all his life would have to start a new coin collection?

A boy on the swim team who has been swimming his whole life would have to start over and pretend to be a non-swimmer?

For part of Citizenship in the Nation #2, a Scout may have gone to Washington DC in 8th grade but not be able to tell you a thing that he learned. Another boy may have gone with his parents in 5th grade and be able to tell you everything about it and how much he learned.

The 8th grader does not pass the requirement. The boy who did it in 5th grade passes with flying colors.

Mike, I don't think that you are going to believe us on this one. Call National. Ask for Bill. I think what you will be told is that Scouting is about what a Scout can do and what he knows not about what he once did. Unless stated otherwise, a Scout may work on any merit badge at any time.

- Craig

[joat]

The wording for requirements is gone over word by word by teams of experts and checked by attorneys.

Checked by attorneys?? So that explains why things are so difficult to read. Attorneys don't have a clue about how to write anything understandable.

[evmori]

A MBC does not have to accept work (chores) performed prior to meeting a Scout

Here is a summary of Boy Scout Requirements 2008, Introduction to Merit Badges, Call the Counselor.

A Scout must:

Get a signed merit badge application from your SM. (doesn’t have to be a blue card).

The counselor may ask to meet you and explain what is expected.

When you know what is expected, START to learn and do things required.

There is a clear sequence of events that a Scout must follow...

Mike, by your reasoning a boy who has collected coins all his life would have to start a new coin collection?

A boy on the swim team who has been swimming his whole life would have to start over and pretend to be a non-swimmer?

For part of Citizenship in the Nation #2, a Scout may have gone to Washington DC in 8th grade but not be able to tell you a thing that he learned. Another boy may have gone with his parents in 5th grade and be able to tell you everything about it and how much he learned.

The 8th grader does not pass the requirement. The boy who did it in 5th grade passes with flying colors.

Mike, I don't think that you are going to believe us on this one. Call National. Ask for Bill. I think what you will be told is that Scouting is about what a Scout can do and what he knows not about what he once did. Unless stated otherwise, a Scout may work on any merit badge at any time.

- Craig

Based on the way it is written, it is up to the MB counselor to either accept or not accept prior work done. Actually, the way it is written, the MB counselor would be completely correct in not accepting any prior work.

[joat]

The boy’s Handbook tells him:
“When you have decided on a merit badge you would like to earn, follow these steps: [1] Obtain from your Scoutmaster a signed merit badge application and the name of a qualified counselor … [2] set up and attend your first appointment with the merit badge counselor … [3] Complete the requirements.”

BSA does not say a boy may “work on” a merit badge at any time. The quote from the BSA requirements book is: “Any Boy Scout may EARN any merit badge at any time. You don’t need to have had rank advancement to be eligible.” The intent here is to make it clear that there is no rank prerequisite like in the olden days when merit badges could not be earned until after ranks were earned.

If BSA intended that a Scout could do merit badge work without meeting with a counselor, the requirements would say that. That doesn’t mean the boy’s coin collection doesn’t “count”. It just means his plan should not be to do the requirements, then go find a counselor for a sign-off.

[milominderbinder2]

A merit badge counselor can reject work done. He can even refuse to work with a particular Scout. He does not even have to give a reason.

Have you all read Mike Kauffmann's (the owner of this forum) editorial, "The Unwritten Mandate"?

It is from years ago but is all about this topic:

http://meritbadge.com/info/foursteps.htm

I just reread it and found he gives a very similar example to the one I offered about going to Washington DC before starting a blue card. Do you make him go to Washington again?

Seriously, I don't think that you will believe us without calling National to hear this one for yourselves.

- Craig

[evmori]

It's open for interpretation and completely up to the MB counselor.

[mhjacobson]

As a Senior MB counselor (have been doing it for 50+ years) and a member of a Council Advancement Committee, I can tell you that MOST MB will accept work that was preformed prior to seeing the counselor UNLESS the item clearly says something like "after consulting with your merit badge counselor" In fact to do so would violate the nothing less nothing more provisions of the BSA.

If a scout has been an avid coin or stamp collector for years, why can I not accept the collection? What am I going to do -- tell that that since they had the collection prior to seeing me, I will not certify that they have met the requirements? What are they going to do -- start collecting Dolls (Collections MB)? Does this mean that they can never earn stamp or coin collecting because I have no way of telling whether what they bring to me was collected prior or after the scout talked with me?

How about the scout who is earning Pets. Shall I tell him to get rid of Fido (dog) and get Fluffy (cat) since he owned Fido prior to calling me?

NO -- because that would be adding to the requirements. BSA really does think stuff out and tries to do the best for the Scouts! Sometimes I get a little frustrated with the arm chair lawyer scout leaders who seem to forget that the program is for the boys -- and nothing less and nothing more!!!!!