It is finished!

Over the last few months, I have gained a lot of respect for the parents of Eagle Scouts.  It has been such a roller coaster and hard to sit back while he figures things out.  As the Boy Scout Committee Chair for our troop, I really wanted to make sure my son's project fit all the criteria and accomplished the overall goals for an Eagle project.

My son had wanted to do an outdoor project but it was not going to fit into his busy summer.  So we started looking into other ideas, none seem to fit our timetable or criteria.  One day I was talking to my friend about projects that the Mountain West Strings Academy needed.  She suggested a few ideas, then remembered that our local elementary school wanted cello racks.  The custodian had said he would build them but he hadn't had time yet.  With that idea, we started to figure out the details.  

Here is the before, lots of cases everywhere.  Disaster waiting to happen!

Now a safe place to store 10 cellos and a very happy custodian!  I was so relieved to get them delivered and the paperwork signed.  There are a few little things to wrap up but at least what should be the hard part is done.

Some things I learned:

1.  Lower your expectations.  It just needs to be good enough not perfect.  Your scout won't do things quite the way you would but the point is for them to figure it out with your guidance.

2.  Don't do things for them that they should do themselves.  My scout didn't like making phone calls and I would just tell him what he should do then back off.  It was really hard for me not to jump in but he needed to learn from experience and a few mistakes.

3.  Take the time to read through the whole packet before deciding on a project. BSA had provided lots of great advice for parents and leaders.  It will help you make sure you have chosen a good project from the beginning.  Some projects that were suggested to us, in my opinion, were not worthy to be called Eagle projects. Choose wisely.

4.  Let your scout develop his leadership skills. Try to find the balance between offering advice and guidance to taking over the project.  I kept telling my scout if I do this then it will be my project not your's.  Give him the gift of really earning his award.

5. Your scout will surprise you.  I found it was a big step in letting him grow up.  I've been telling my kids that my goal is to raise them to be self-sufficient adults.  Now is them time to let them show you what they are capable of and see all your hard work payoff.