One Stinky Merit Badge!

THIS one!

I took Sport to the scouting office yesterday to get his Eagle Scout paperwork finished off so he can turn it in since his 18th birthday is two weeks away.  Sport finished his project in December.  All of his merit badges were finished.  His dad has been on him about finishing up the paperwork but it was Christmas and his brothers were home and Grandma and Grandpa were here.  Paperwork can wait, right??

Well, not apparently for Sport.  Or at least he should have heeded that little voice, or the big booming one from his father.  But Sport has just a little stubborn streak that came back yesterday to bite him and bite him hard.

As we were printing off his awards that the scouting office has records of, the guy behind the desk says, rather nonchalantly, "And you know that as of January 1st, 2014 the cooking merit badge is now required, right?"

I thought he was kidding.  Seriously--the COOKING merit badge?? 

usscouts.org

He was not.  Then he started printing out the new requirements for the newly required merit badge.  Sport and I just looked at each other.   Knowing my son and how close he has been to exploding lately with the requirements of other people, I looked at him and said, "Take deep breaths, Sport.  In and out all the way down to your toes."  It didn't help that yesterday he also had to appear before the school board to appeal to their mercy and allow him to take 12 credit hours this semester as a concurrently enrolled student instead of the 11 unit cap.

When we got to the car, he exploded, just a little.  It was a stressful day.

I remember being where he is.  I was almost finished with my Young Womanhood Recognition award.  But I was also a Senior and I didn't care about it or want to finish it.  My parents didn't care and didn't have any idea I was even working on it.  My adviser for Young Women was all over my case about finishing it.  She drove me crazy.  Batty.  I finally finished it just to get her off my back.  That was the only reason I finished it.

mormonshare.com

Now, as an adult, if I saw her, I would run up and hug her and tell her how grateful I was that she pushed me.  I was not grateful at the time.  In fact, with my attitude, I was extremely annoyed.  But today I am so very grateful I finished it.  It means more to me as an adult than it ever did as a teenager.  Hopefully Sport will feel that way too........in a few years.  Certainly not in the next two weeks as we push to get it all done and turned in.  Poor guy.  I feel so bad for him.

On the positive side of things, the board approved his credit hours.  Guess he really will graduate with his AA in the Spring.