Musings of a Springbok Scout mom

Early, frosty morning, car-bundling journeys all over the Western Cape have come to an end. This is my reflection on my Scout’s quest for the highest achievement in Scouts, the Springbok Award.

Things I did not know when embarking on this journey

You do not just get to be a Springbok.

You are selected or approved for this advancement.

Every waking moment becomes about Springbok.

For the next several months it would be all Scout, all Springbok, slight panic with maybe a little disco.

Mama may not help.

Gosh, this is by far the toughest part. While we can suggest and advise, every bit of this journey must be done by said Scout independently.

Your teen will talk to you.

Surprise, surprise. Your grumpy teen will venture out from behind closed doors to ask for suggestions, beg for money, excitedly discuss upcoming plans, or vent in general. How amazing.

The programme will stretch your child in ways they did not expect.

While my Scout is amazing at the doing, all the logistics, forward thinking, planning, and paperwork were completely foreign concepts to him. To my complete amazement, he rose to the challenge and tackled each task piece by piece, growing in strength and confidence along the way. The boy who can sell ice to Eskimos can now organise. Hallelujah!

A privilege to witness

It is a privilege to watch the years of dedication and hard work, not only from our Scout, but from all those adult leaders who volunteer their time, pay off in this most prestigious accolade.

What Scouts means to me

As a single parent for a large part of Dom's life, Scouts has been a source of positive male influence. A place to learn good values, important life skills, and reinforce the value systems being taught at home. 1st Muizenberg is a family, an extension of the home where Scouts can grow and thrive.

For a kid who would be building elaborate forts next to the proverbial box rather than trying to fit in it, Scouts has been a safe space to grow, spread his wings and excel in the important life skills learnt.

As an added bonus, he found his own tribe along the way. Four boys and a girl who have walked their Scout path together, some all the way from Cubs. A tight knit crew who look out for each other and are excited to tackle what comes next together.

If nothing else, Scouts has been a place to keep busy. Idle hands are the devil's playmate. These kids are far too busy to get into mischief. We were every bit as invested in the Springbok journey of all five of this year's applicants and we are extremely proud of them for achieving their goals.

Looking ahead

Now that Dom has met his challenge (and I am a very proud mama hen), he has embarked on his adult journey as a Rover.

Now we set our sights on 2030, when "Baby Scout" Cassie starts her journey and we get to do this all over again. Who knows, this just could be another Springbok candidate!