The Cub Scouts...How Much Its Changed

Scrolling through my social media feed (something I'm doing less and less these days...), I came across a notice that caught my attention.

I had to read it twice. What I was reading made sense, but when I considered what the message actually said, it floored me.

How times have changed.

And yet, it's almost a forgotten change.

The notice was for people living in my area and the surrounding cities. It let us know that Cub Scout Pack 27 in a nearby town was starting. They're looking for kids (and their parents...) who want to be involved in cub scouts to contact them. But what really shocked me is that this pack--this one pack--will be the only one in the southern half of our county.

Unbelievable.

I spent several years involved in the cub scout program, both as an active parent and as an advisor. My three boys graduated from the cub scouts--the last one leaving almost five years ago. I don't know the exact number that constitutes a pack, but to put things into perspective, five years ago, our neighborhood had its own pack. Our town had several dozen packs, and our town was one of the smaller ones. That means hundreds of packs of young boys have disappeared from the program. I don't think I could have contemplated such a change five years ago.

And yet, here we are.

There are numerous reasons for this change--I won't go into any details. Another thought crossed my mind as I read and re-read the words from the post. Normally, something this big would be discussed, debated, considered for months, maybe even years. But now, in a world of impeachments, global pandemics, quarantines, and lockdown, earthquakes, protests and riots, the fact that an entire cultural institution has basically disappeared barely moves the needle. If nothing else, that--to me--is shocking.

Yes, things change, but rarely has so much changed so quickly. We're just trying to keep up. Good luck Pack 27! I hope you make it.