Best Reasons Your Teen Should Get Their Eagle
There are several reasons why your teen should get their eagle, but for this post, I will share 5 of the most important ones with you.
Scouting is all about intention. Our family knew that once our boys started scouts, they would get their Eagle. Sometimes the boys were unsure, but we knew that the award would follow them everywhere, and would do way more for them than being on any team would.
Don’t get me wrong, our kids were all on various teams all throughout their childhoods, but scouts was equally, if not more important.
There were times when each of the boys wanted to give up, but we insisted that they stick with it. That they see it through. We sometimes gave little incentives along the way to help. We knew that if they could complete their Eagle, then they would know that they could do anything!
It helped that the grandpas on both sides were supportive as well. One grandpa was often over helping them finish merit badges, with lots of love and encouragement along the way.
Eagle scouts are extremely rare — in fact, 19 out of 20 young people who join Scouting won’t actually reach the rank of Eagle.
The Eagle award, which is awarded by the Boy Scouts of America, has been around since 1912, and more than 2 million young men, and now women, have received this award. That seems a large number, but that is only 4% of the scouts who start out.
If you like diving into numbers, here is research that Baylor University did on scouting.
Reasons Your Teen Should Get Their Eagle
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Receiving the BSA eagle award is a huge achievement. It takes a lot of time, effort, and work. There are many benefits your scout will receive from getting this award.
I can say for my two oldest sons so far, that they have been called into interviews ahead of anyone else because of their Eagle award. This has literally happened when a secretary asked the room of applicants who had received their Eagle, and then called my son into the interview room ahead of any other applicant. Our youngest is still in college, but his Eagle helped with his academic scholarship amount already.
Reasons Your Teen Should Get Their Eagle: Leadership skills
By the time your teen actually is ready to manage their Eagle project, they have spent hours with it. Planning, researching, possibly fundraising… They also will have discussed it with multiple adults and written down every step that they can foresee that will go into the execution of the project.
Therefore, at the time of the actual project, your teen will be ready to lead his fellow scouts, leaders, and other various adults throughout the project assembly. No one will know more about it than your scout.
Watching this whole process unfold is amazing.
The leadership piece is one of the biggest advantages Eagle scouts have over their peers. BSA has leadership built into all of their activities. As scouts advance through the ranks, they will have had leadership opportunities within their patrols, as well as the entire troop. Some of these positions are elected, appointed, or often by default when the other leaders fail to lead.
Reasons Your Teen Should Get Their Eagle: Self-confidence and independence
Part of scouting is becoming independent. As my boys advanced through the ranks, we practiced behaviors that we wanted them to learn how to do themselves. They slowly took over packing for campouts. If they forgot things, that was a lesson learned for the next time.
They learned to shop (with a budget!) for the campouts when it was their turn to cook. They learned to cook, and we gave them lots of opportunities to cook at home -which was wonderful!
As they became more independent, their self-confidence in scouting, as well as many other areas increased.
Reasons Your Teen Should Get Their Eagle: Time management
Time management is a huge skill to learn. It is beneficial in so many ways. As scouts, they begin to see how long things take to accomplish in real time. There are real life consequences to procrastination when they put things off.
Because with every advancement in scouting, there is an interview with questions pertaining to what they are supposed to have learned for that particular level, they cannot put off studying and getting certain merit badges.
Each of our boys said that the time management that they learned through scouting definitely helped with school. Deadlines, studying for tests, projects due -all became much more manageable over time as they learned this skill.
Reasons Your Teen Should Get Their Eagle: Problem solving
Scouts solve all kinds of problems. They have to find solutions to building climbing structures, broken tents, making a fire from wet wood, disputes amongst themselves on campouts, which leads ultimately to the giant problem of an Eagle project which has a myriad of its own problems.
As scouts advance through the ranks, they build problem solving muscles in various situations so that they are ready when they finally get to the final project. They also learn how to break big jobs into smaller tasks which is very helpful when it comes to school projects.
Reasons Your Teen Should Get Their Eagle: Sense of accomplishment
When the write up and planning, actual completion of project, and final write-up analyzing the project is finished, the relief is huge. By this time, the actual Board of Review (interview with various adults) is such a relief because these adults have been supportive throughout the whole process, and are so excited for your scout. The night of the actual BOR is so fun, and the sense of accomplishment you see in your scout is indescribable.
Reasons Your Teen Should Get Their Eagle: Bonus -You will always have it!
The BSA Eagle Scout Award is one of the few things, maybe only thing, that can be taken from childhood into adulthood and kept on a resumé. A couple of years after college, you are supposed to your GPA off. At some point, the Eagle Award can be moved to awards and accomplishments, but it’s still there! It is recognized internationally, and is a brotherhood, now sisterhood as well, that few can say they are a part of.
I didn’t mention scholarship opportunities, but there are several depending on where your scout decides to go to school. Just having his Eagle helped my youngest receive a larger scholarship package, but it wasn’t specifically for the award. Also, it has a positive effect if your child decides to join the military.
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I wrote this post for Adrian over at Adrian’s Crazy Life moms of prospective Eagle scouts: Mom’s Guide to Eagle: 3 Tips for Success
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