Danger! - Out of Contact and in the Deep End

Sometimes it takes me longer to focus my writing. Every day I see new and wonderful connections to scouting which can make it challenging to stick to my weekly outline. This edition is a classic example of that.

This morning, I read Lenore Skenazy’s guest article on After Babel entitled “How Phones are Making Parents the Anxious Generation” (Shout out to The Free Press for the tip). Her article mentions that the kid-tracking device industry is a $100 billion market with a growth expectation of $500 billion by 2030. There’s even a reference to a “brilliant mummy” who put a GPS tracker in her daughter’s ponytail. Skenazy makes what I consider a strong argument that today’s obsession with constantly tracking our young people is unhealthy for both us and them.

"Gizmo watches actually give parents the power to listen in on their child's life, like a bugging device" - Lenore Skenazy

When some of us were younger, we could literally be out of contact with our parents for hours at a time. We learned to push the boundaries of our adventures and each time we did, we grew more confident, more adept at moving through the world, and more secure in asking adults we didn’t know for things we needed like directions, water, or extra guacamole on our taco. Back in the nest, our parents might worry but they also realized that we were most likely just fine. Each time we returned mostly unscathed, their confidence in our capabilities would grow.

In scouting, young people can experience this life “out of contact”. A weekend unit campout with little to no cell coverage (or *gasp*, no device) provides a scout the opportunity to increase their self-efficacy. It may be the first time they are sleeping away from home or even outside. They may learn how to split wood with a full-size axe and ignite a fire. For some, it may be the first time they have cooked their own meal. Each of these skills has an element of danger that the youth, untethered from parental oversight, must learn to navigate. If they need assistance, their first reach is to their patrol leader, not the adults present, and definitely not mom and/or dad.

On an even larger scale, scout resident camp can scaffold this “trust myself and my abilities” attitude. My scouting friend Christopher Schuler shared this post about his cub scouts completing the Scouting America? swim test. Every youth and adult who wants to participate in scouting’s aquatic activities must annually complete this test which demonstrates both their swimming ability and their stamina in deep water. Connect that to the CBS news story about Cullen Jones who is now an Olympic swimmer but nearly drowned as a child because he wasn’t taught how to swim. In his words “it’s a life skill”. No matter how good your “find my” app is, it would be of little use if your child could not rescue themselves in open water.

It's nice that we have all this modern technology to keep in constant contact with our children, but do we really need that every minute of their lives? Might we serve their future interests better by letting them experience the world on their own and consistently nudge them to increase their skills? In scouting, we revel in the increased self-confidence and unadulterated joy every time a young person accomplishes something on their own. We’d look forward to sharing it with you.

Yours in Scouting.

The above article reflects my personal perspective and is not affiliated, endorsed, or representative of Scouting America?