Is it true that until one is registered as an official merit badge helper (sorry, don't know what the title is), one cannot help his son with merit badges? I am able to help my son on several badges, but it doesn't look like I can "officially" unless I am registered to do so. Is this correct?

I'm not exactly sure what your question is. In order to be a merit badge counselor, you need to register with the district or the council advancement chairman. You are then supposed to be contacted by one of these people each year to "reregister." This helps insure that you are still interested in counseling for the merit badge.

Counselors are supposed to focus the instruction and teach skills for the merit badge. The Scouts are required to do all the requirements in the merit badge themselves. If you simply mean that you can supply some guidance, you do not have to be registered. If you want to be able to "sign off" on a MB, then you do have to register.

We encourage Scouts to contact MB counselors outside their troop to get a different perspective on training and ideas. Often, however, this doesn't happen. With troop MB sessions, camps and MB colleges, it is quite possible that a Scout never has to contact a MB counselor on his own. By never having to make an appointment and discuss the MB requirements with someone the Scout doesn't know, he is missing out on a significant learning experience.

Hope this answers your question- maybe more information than you wanted.

Let me know if I can help in any way.

The question from my original post was "Is it true that until one is registered as an official merit badge helper (sorry, don't know what the title is), one cannot help his son with merit badges?"

Sorry it wasn't clear. I'll try to simply. In order to help a boy scout with one of the requirements on a merit badge, does the person helping have to be registered as an official "merit badge counselor"?

If someone helps a boy scout with a merit badge requirement, and the person helping is not a merit badge counselor, does that mean that the help doesn't count?

But you answered that by saying that only merit badge counselors can officially sign that the requirement has been satisfied.

That's really too bad because a lot of people will help but are not willing to become official counselors. If there is no counselor in the area, then the boy scout can't get the merit badge.

I've helped my stepson with several requirements for multiple badges (and I was strict that he truly accomplished what he was supposed to and is competent with what he learned) but because I don't have special training in many of those areas (and thus cannot become a merit badge counselor), it looks like my step-son's work won't count.

Thanks very much for your help.

I guess part of my confusion is the term "help." Anyone can give guidance to a Scout, but only an approved counselor can sign off on the MB.

You don't have to have special training- if it is a hobby, an avocation, something that you have acquired knowledge on the subject over the years can all be used in considering someone as a MB Counselor.

Even in remote areas, there are usually some counselors, especially for the "required" MB's. If you have some experience in areas, I would recommend that you contact the district or council advancement chairman to get added to the list- they will probably be interested in having your expertise, especially if it is for MB's that there currently no counselor for the MB.

You can also register only as a MB counselor- you do not have to be involved in a troop in other functions.

Hope this helps

Anyone can help a scout with his badge. But, he has to go to an official person to have it signed off. If a parent assisted, then they need to let them know he did the work. There are circumstances that only the MB counselor can pass off such as First aid and Swimming I know for an example. But the financial planning and the Family Life, of course, the parent has to help there. I am the Genealogy MB for my area. A parent can help work on the pedigrees and family group sheets with the scout. He brings them to me when they are finished and I sign them off. But, the parent was the one who helped... But, if they need me to help at the front end, I do that also. Hope this helps..

My dh and I have maintained the attitude that the merit badge work is our son's to do or not, that if he gains rank advancement it is because he wants to. But, despite a stated (including recently stated) goal of reaching Eagle, he is Star and holding -- for the last 2+ years. He really only has 2 years left, before he goes to college (and I'm sure he wouldn't finish it up during those months between starting college and turning 18.)

My question is -- how much nudging/encouragement is appropriate. He has a bunch of partial merit badges, but just doesn't seem organized or self-directed enough to finish any of them. He will run out of time at this rate. (He is most of the way through a leadership position, and has community service up the wazoo, so that isn't a problem for Life, though he is less enamored with leadership positions than community service.)

Behind every Eagle Scout is a very helpful and determined mother.

Yours is probably one of the more difficult questions in Scouting. A great many boys get to about Star and then go into a neutral phase- go camping and do the activities but no advancement. So what you are seeing is not unnatural. That's why so many are finishing their project or doing the last MB the week (or night) before their 18th birthday.

Some parents have said that the Scout doesn't get his driver's license until he gets his Eagle. This reaches a goal, but I'm not sure if it is for the right reason. There needs to be some motivation. Sometime it is a younger brother or Scout getting his Eagle. Some time it is because it is a good way to separate himself from a host of others in his college application. Sometimes it just the time is right.

There is one boy in particular in my troop who did not get his Eagle. He was my SPL and my crew chief on our Philmont trek. He moved away when he was a Life Scout and never found a troop in his new location. His dad asked what he could do to make Paul get his Eagle. My advice was that it should be important to Paul. No one represented what an Eagle was more than Paul. He never felt the need to finish.

I would focus on the positives-
* You've put a lot of time into this already- why not see it through to the end?
* It helps differentiate you from other kids in applying for college
* It shows future employers that you can set a goal over an extended period and see the process through to completion.

It is important to monitor the time line. Start with his 18th birthday and count back 6 months for Life to Eagle and 3 months from Star to Life. Also allow for any MB with long lead times (Personal Finance, etc). This will give him a date that he needs to begin if everything is going to be completed on time. After that date, no matter how much he decides he wants his Eagle, it can't be done.

Hope these thoughts help.