i would be more concerned with ad-hoc church youth functions than i would with scouting. BSA has had a "2 deep" leadership rule in place for years. there are safeguards in place that work and mandatory training at all levels. and now, if you don't do the training, your troop cannot recharter you. i have never seen any leader in scouts that was ever in a questionable situation with other scouts. my boys went from Tiger through Eagle and are now Assistant Scoutmasters. i was a Den leader, Cubmaster, Camping chairman, new parent coordinator, and am still Assistant Scoutmaster, merit badge counseler on about a dozen badges and Eagle coach. they, and many other young men, got OUT of it, what i put INTO it. i found that scouting was pretty lightweight compared to what me and my boys did on our own, but it taught them structure, discipline, leadership skills, and work/reward relationship. if you are going to be a drop-off parent and expect your troop or pack to run your kids through the program, find something else.
all this BSA bashing is misdirected. it is a fine organization. however, it is not a replacement for family activities or values.
