Always Be Prepared

"The role of the teacher remains the highest calling of a free people.  To the teacher, America entrusts her most precious resource, her children; and asks that they be prepared... to face the rigors of individual participation in a democratic society." ~Shirley Mount Hufstedler

Being a single parent has it's challenges.  I'm the one who gets them ready in the morning and rushes to school.  I'm the one who picks them up and chauffeurs them to soccer, karate, church, scouts, whatever.  We have the joy of grocery shopping together (three kids in Wal-mart at the end of a long day - think about it).  I'm the comforting mom and strict disciplinarian.  Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't trade my job for anything.  But it makes life interesting.

What could possibly make life more hectic than this?  Well, lets see.  We get a pile of papers sent home from school every day.  A couple of weeks ago Jacob gets one.  You can be a Cub Scout.  Mom picked them up that particular day and proceeded to read to him all about how great scouting is.  I get home and Jacob proclaims "I'm going to be a Cub Scout!  I get to go camping."  So I guess we're going to scouts.

Once a week meetings shouldn't be too much strain on our schedules.  We can do this.  We go to the first meeting.  There are four Tiger Cubs.  Scouts require two leaders per den.  Two of the parents are already leaders in other dens.  Guess what that means?  Soccer mom is going to be a Den Leader.  Wow.  How's a single mom going to fit in with all of this testosterone?  Just like I do being a female Engineer in a sea of men.  We had our first leader meeting, got to business amidst the craziness, and planned out the next three months.  No special treatment; no avoiding the outsider who dared to breech the walls of the boys clubhouse (the meeting's in a cabin - just what you'd picture a boys tree house to look like inside).  I was just one of the guys.  Cool.

So I'm a Cub Scout Leader.  Another badge to add to Supermom's cape.  If nothing else, it's something to add to the adventure book.