“You all have boys who want to be Cub Scouts. Is that right?” I said.

“Yes,” came the reply from all the ladies.

“Why does your boy want to be a Cub Scout, Jean?”

“He has a friend in school, and thinks it would be fun,” she said, joined by other mothers.

“He likes the uniform,” said another 

“How about your boy, Juanita,” I said.

“Same as Jean’s boy. We visited one of your pack meetings and he had a good time,” Juanita said.

“Do you want your boy to be a Cub Scout?” I said, addressing the group that responded in the affirmative. “Why is that, Wanda?”

“I think it would be a good thing for him to interact with other boys his own age and to work with them,” she said.

“Well, very good. Of course I have some forms for you to fill out to get your boys registered,” I said, “Now I’ll tell you a little bit about the program.

“It’s a boy-parent program. We encourage parents to be part of the Cub Scout’s life. He will need help from a parent to do some of his projects.

“Young boys are still oriented toward their mothers, so they are organized into dens with a Den Mother. They meet weekly at her home where they do various things including getting ready for the monthly pack meeting.

“The pack meeting is a family affair. We present the awards that the Cubs have earned in their den meetings and at home. The boys present a skit or a stunt that they learn in the den meeting. Some of the boys are real hams as they show off for their families and the other Cubs.

“Of course, none of this is possible without Den Mothers. We have seven or eight new boys that want to join us. That’s enough for a new Den. Any questions so far?” 

“Who’s the Den Mother?” someone asked.

“I guess we’ll know before we get done here,” I said. “Are you volunteering?”

“No,” she said, “I’d have no idea where to start.”

“We have some Den Mothers here who’ll be more than glad to help,” I said, “The Boy Scout Council has printed material with far more ideas than you can ever use. And each boy should have his own Cub Scout manual. I’m sorry to have to tell you that I don’t have a list of names of women who are lined up to become Den Mothers, so I need a volunteer for the job”

“I’d not mind doing it, but I have a job that takes most of my time,” said Sally.

“I do too,” said Sue. “When do the dens meet?”

“After school is a good time,” said Betty, a Den Mother, “but I’ve known some that meet on Saturday morning.”

“Why don’t you ladies talk it over for a few minutes?” I said, “Maybe you can find a volunteer among you.”

“I’ll do it,” said Jean after a ten-minute buzz. “I expect to get a lot of help as you promised.”

“Congratulations,” I said. “You’ll get all the help you need, and you’ll have a good time at the job. You may unlock the door now, Betty.”