Way too late for the kids!!

Speaking as a scout mom and a girl scout leader for over 12 yrs (our youngest is a senior scout this year) i have to say there is probably one best answer. its the simplest and the most complicated but i believe its the best. if you cannot find another troop that matches your hours better, BECOME the troop leader. and before you start saying i dont know how or i dont have the time. please remember a couple of things. YOU dont NEED to have experience (They train you and with LOTS of support. and MORE importantly what most people dont realize right away is that as the leader YOU dictate the schedule and the 'program' you provide. the scouts match your schedule not the other way around and it can be amazingly easy. try it and be delighted proud mom of two senior girl scouts. and VERY proud to have been a leader with my husband which made it very much a FAMILY affair. it was wonderful and although am not an active leader at present am still involved with the gs community where i live. take care and good luck rj is so cal

Why don't you see if someone has a troop that has meeting on the weekends during the day time. That sounds like a solution. Or you might have to give the boys a nap before the next meeting, so they won't be tired at school, or leave early. We had our children in 4-H when they were younger and through their teen years, finding a group that had day meetings on a weekend was hard. But other parents were looking for the same thing so they opened one up for Saturday mornings. You could always become a Den leader and schedule your meetings for days.

I think that is too late also. My daughter is 8 and she had basketball practice on Monday nights from 7:30-8:30. By the time we got home it was 9 and then she still had to shower. She is usually in bed by 8:30. I mentioned to the coach that it seemed like a late practice for 3rd graders, but that was the only slot he could make to coach so we were stuck. I think it wouldn't hurt to mention maybe starting a little earlier or making sure that they stop earlier.

And I thought it was bad that my 11 year old's soccer practices didn't end until 8:30! Honestly though, yours is a no win situation. So your meetings and such are at about 7pm, right? So you have dinner around 5 or 5:30, have time to get that cleaned up and get the kids ready and head out. But then you have to deal with being out too late. So what if you move the meetings up to 6? Well, working parents don't have time to do dinner before that, so they'll end up making the kids wait until after the meeting, so they're still going to bed too late. And even if you aren't a working parent, what time would you need to do dinner in order to have it picked up and be ready to go at the correct time? Like 4ish? Well everyone will still be hungry after, so you either have to spend money on fast food or give everyone a snack before bed! See what I mean? No win situation really. If boyscouts is only 1 night a week, then I personally would probably just deal with the hours. If it's more than one night a week, I'd probably ask that we cut back to 1 weeknight and do whatever else we have to do on weekends so the kids have their time to rest up for school. Even if there isn't school, many parents work and the kids have to go to sitters in the morning, so they're still tired, etc.

I agree thatis too late for a kid to be out an about. I would say something. I would think that you are probably not alone in feeling that way. Ask around to the other parents and try to find out if there is a valid reason for everything being so late at night. Mayb, all of you could agree on an earlier time, or maybe weekend meetings instead. If you approach it in a way that makes it seem more like you are curious about there views on it, you may get a better, more honest response than you would if you approached it as if it were a real problem, even though I think it is. You may find out that others wish it were earlier too.

I understand you not wanting to cause an issue, but not getting home until 10 or after on a school night wouldn't be for me. We have done it on occasion, but as you mentioned it happens all the time in your case, I would have to say something. I would just generally bring it up while talking with other parents and get their feel and take on it before going to the board about it. I think Children's activities should be done by 8, no later. But I also see the other side of things. Parents work later and sometimes dont get home til 5, or 6 so they start these activities later in the evenings so the parents that have to work can attend.

you should talk to them about this. i think that the car races are special and if it just ran late for that, then you should be understanding. but if this happens all the time, i would talk to them about it. the kids have school and it is not good for them to be staying up later or out late on a school night. this is a kids activity and they should be understanding of this.

are they adults or idiots, you are speaking up with the welfare of the kids, and that is all you focus on,

I remember those days. It seemed like we always had the derby race on a week night and it was ALWAYS over pretty late. It was hard to get them to do it on a Saturday because there was no place to have it on weekends. Although most of the parents agreed that it was late, it was hard to do much about it - for us. Fortunately it wasn't every week, it was only the special occaisions that were long.

Boy I feel for you. It's aggravating at heck. I experience the same thing with baseball. Games were at 7 or 7:30 and the were two hour games! The we had to get home. And of course you had to be at the game an HOUR before so they could warm up! Between driving and warming up. there was barely time for eating and homework. In my case I didn't see anway to get them to have the games earlier. There were a limited number of fields and there were also earlier games sceduled. If your lucky, speaking to the right person might convince them to start the meetings a little earlier. But most likely they will have some reason why they can't. Good luck.

I thinks it's way to late! My oldest had soccer practice last year until 8.30 pm and wasn't home before after 9.30 - (she was 10 by that time - their team is for girls born 1996 and 1997 and she's the youngest in the team) This when it's school the next day - even if I know that that was the only time avalible since the younger had to have the earlier times. But since almost all gils in the team goes to practice with out parents (so do my daughter) it's late to go home when it's started to get dark - and it's a qouple of miles home. We spoke all about it, but there wasn't any other time they could practice (they had more practices in the week and the other were better hours)

That is pretty late considering that you would probably have some things to do at home before you could get the kids in bed...which would get them in bed going to sleep even later than that. Kids aren't going to just jump in bed as soon as they get home and go to sleep. I would just say that you feel that some of the activities are ending a little late and see if there's any way you can start earlier? If they give you a lot of flack over it and don't want to change anything, take care of you. Either don't go to some of the ones that will run really late or leave early.

Maybe you could suggest that the meetings be kept to an hour or hold them on Friday night or Saturday afternoon. When my boys were in Scouts they had after school meetings, which the parents did not attend. When there was the Pinewood Derby or Blue and Gold Banquet or some other event like that it was held on a Thursday evening since the parents were involved. Since that was not a weekly event it was not a problem. It was usually over at a decent time though. Best wishes.

I would say something. I know they love their extra activities but it is just that. Activities for them . I would think that more people would be just as concerned about this as you. Right now my girls go to bed at 830 so that would not work at all. My six year old plays softball and on practice or game nights sometimes don't get in bed till 9 but that's managable. I would be furious if we didn't get home until after nine cause then there's dinner, bath, ect and that takes time. If it were me, I would bring it up cause when it comes to my girls, I don't care to sound like the overproctive parent cause I definitly am and am not ashamed of it. Everything I do is with the thought of what's best for my kids in mind.