APRIL 20, 2021

[NO. 674 – 20TH YEAR OF HELPING SCOUTS, SCOUTERS, & PARENTS]

Thiago, with his sister Julieta and younger brother Santiago, and their parents had just moved to our Southern California town from Guadalajara, Mexico. One of his plans in his new home and country was to be a Boy Scout. When they first moved here just a few weeks before, his father, Juan Carlos, had told him, “Esto es lo que son los verdaderos niños estadounidenses—son Boy Scouts” (“This is what real American boys are—they’re Boy Scouts”).

All three kids were almost one hundred percent bilingual—his parents had made sure of this before emigrating, and they were pretty good with English, too. Thiago had already enrolled at our nearby middle school and was placed in a class that had four of our Scouts. One was a newly-elected Patrol Leader. This meant I didn’t have to make any “Solomon’s decision” on what to do about a patrol for Thiago. He’d already been invited to join the Raving Raccoons.

With guidance first from me, then his Patrol Leader, and then me again for the wrap-up, Scout rank came easy. And continuing to work with his patrol mates, Thiago had half of Tenderfoot completed the end of April.

After I’d had good conversation with Juan Carlos, his parents encouraged Thiago to come with our troop to summer camp. What he didn’t have by way of equipment we were able to fill from the gear our graduated Scouts had left with the troop for situations like this (their own idea, years before).

At camp, check-in was smooth, our troop’s campsite was ready, and we picked tents by patrol buddies quickly. Then, into our swimsuits and head to the waterfront for our swim-tests… But Thiago hung back. When our Senior Patrol Leader asked his Patrol Leaders to gather their patrols and line up for the short walk to the water, Thiago’s face seemed to blanch as he very tentatively got in like with his patrol. I figured I knew why.

When we got our instructions at the waterfront—jump in feet-first, level off, and so on—we were also told that anyone who didn’t want to take the tests didn’t have to. Thiago was the only Scout to take a seat on the grass beside the lake.

Sitting down near him, I asked, “Don’t feel like swimming today, Thiago?”

He was quiet for a while. Then, “I can’t swim…Nobody in my family can swim,” he said.

“Hmmm… You know, Thiago, I’d much rather you tell me you haven’t learned how to swim yet; not that you ‘can’t’ swim,” I said.

“OK, Andy,” he replied. “I haven’t learned how to swim yet.”

“That’s OK, Thiago, you don’t have to go in the water today at all.”

I let the afternoon and the next morning pass. After breakfast and campsite cleanup on our second morning, several buddy pairs—including Thiago and Billy, his tentmate—asked me if they could go fishing at the space set aside next to the waterfront. Of course that was fine by me, and I decided to join them after my ASM agreed to hang out in our campsite for the next couple of hours.

But they weren’t biting that morning, or just didn’t like our bait. So I walked over to Thiago and Billy.

While Billy was breaking down his rod and cleaning up, I asked him, “You know, Thiago, yesterday you told me you hadn’t learned how to swim yet. Today’s a fine day. Sunny and warm, and not much wind on the lake. In fact, it’s an almost perfect day. Do you think this might be a good day for swimming?”

Thiago gave me a grin. “Sure, Andy. Today’s a fine day for swimming!”

So the three of us asked the waterfront staff if we could use the shallow (I personally hate the expression, “non-swimmer”) area for about a half-hour, and of course they said okay.

It didn’t take long. Starting with learning to keep our eyes open underwater, progressing to push-off-and-float, adding kicks and simple arm-strokes, Thiago was swimming. Definitely not Olympic free-style, mind you, but definitely swimming.

That night, at dinner in the mess hall, we went around each patrol table and asked each Scout to tell a little about what he’d done that day. Of course, Thiago’s story was about swimming, but it’s how he said it (and what he didn’t say) that gave me my “Scoutmaster’s paycheck” that night.

“I went swimming today,” Thiago announced. He didn’t say, “Andy taught me to swim.” He didn’t say, “I passed my Second Class swimming requirement.” He simply said, “I went swimming today.”

That’s advancement.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay positive!
Happy Scouting!
Andy
(AskAndyBSA@Yahoo.com)

[No. 674 4/20/2021 Copyright © 2021 Andy McCommish]