Cub Scouts

I don't know if I mentioned that I'm one of the Den Leaders for McKay's little group of Webelos.  

Well, I am.  And I can't even tell you how far out of my comfort zone this calling has launched me.  First of all, Cub Scouts is a totally different language for me.  Like what in the heck is a WEBELOS anyway?  

There are merit badges, rank advancements, academic pins, pack meetings, den meetings,  crossover ceremonies, uniforms, little beads and patches to put in specific places on those uniforms, arrow points, deniers, a scout oath and motto, and a whole manual full of other stuff that is still pretty foreign to me.  

But I'm getting there.  

Every Wednesday afternoon, another mom and I meet at the church and have organized activities to help our little den of Webelos progress toward becoming Boy Scouts.  This week, we were working on the Handyman Requirement.  I volunteered to teach this one because I figured I could handle talking about the importance of being responsible, doing chores in your family, and maintaining things around your home and school.  Easy, right?  

Well, there are a handful of other things the boys have to do to earn this requirement, including checking the oil in a car, checking the air in the tires, and washing a car.  

Are you laughing yet?  It's ok.  Everyone in my family did when I asked Craig to help me figure out how to open the hood of his Jeep so that I could find the engine.  That is where the oil lives, right?

It was a stretch, I tell you, to make the boys think that I knew all about cars and try to keep a straight face while doing it.  Fortunately, McKay was the only one who knew my secret and he didn't say a word.  In fact, in these pictures it sort of looks like he had a pretty big role in the instruction portion of this lesson.  I promise I did most of the teaching.  

We ended the day with five happy (and wet) boys, two squeaky clean cars, and one new den leader who breathed a sigh of relief that I got through another den meeting without anyone finding out that I don't have a clue what I'm doing.