Why should a family participate in scouting? Well, there are outdoor adventures, leadership training, skills learned through advancements and merit badges, and the satisfaction of achieving goals. We have enjoyed all these benefits for my brother and me in our scout troop, but we have some other advantages. In our troop, all the members are homeschooling families, they are Christians, and the dads are full participants in scouting events. Whatever we do, our dads are right there with us. This is a huge blessing.

I am a First Class scout in Troop 401 in Shingle Springs, California, and I have been helped by scouting in so many ways. First, I have mastered the skills required for my rank. I have learned about first aid and basic life-saving skills, learned knot tying basics, and memorized the oaths and mottos of the Boy Scout organization. It’s been hard work, but I have benefited from it greatly.

I have also learned how to guide (and how not to guide) the other scouts when I am given a leadership position. There are times I have not done a good job at leading, and I have seen how the other scouts respond to that; it has been a valuable lesson for me. When you have a task to accomplish, cooperation is necessary. Learning how to lead a group is therefore crucial to the outcome. If you lead everyone as if they are the same, then you will be treating them incorrectly, and not treating them with respect. All scout troops emphasize leadership, but I have appreciated how our dads train us to work together, guiding us by their example.

I have enjoyed having my dad as a part of our scout adventures. We have hiked Half Dome in Yosemite as a part of the hiking merit badge requirements, we have hiked across rushing water during a spring thaw in the Sierras, and we have seen beautiful sunsets in some of the prettiest spots in California. We’ve taken fun drives, with other scouts and dads along, and it has been nice to have time with Dad and my brother Rex, who does scouting with me. When we have a Court of Honor, the moms and dads both come up and are a part of the ceremony. When a scout achieves a merit badge or a rank advancement, we all know that much sacrifice has been made by the parents as well. It is special to be able to honor the work we have done together.

I have also appreciated getting to know some of the other dads. They can encourage me in unique ways, help me with skills that my dad can’t help me with, and offer me insight. They can see strengths and weaknesses that we as a family might be blind to, and that is helping me to grow as a young man, to develop into a stronger Christian, and to be a more effective leader. Each dad has different job skills, humor style, and personality; when you put all the men together, we have a terrific group available as mentors. It takes a huge time commitment from each of them. They pray and plan and train us to execute all the events for our troop. Each father’s contribution is what makes Troop 401 so special.

When I set my goals for scouting, I looked to my troop for guidance. Many scouts in my troop have achieved the esteemed rank of Eagle Scout, and I have set that as my goal as well. Only 4% of scouts ever achieve the Eagle Scout rank; I am so grateful to have a troop that encourages all their scouts to advance as far as they possibly can. I look forward to reaching my next goal of Star rank, and continuing to work on merit badges and leadership skills. Scouting has been an excellent opportunity for me to learn and grow as a Christian young man, side by side with my dad and brother as well as a fine group of boys and dads. I love scouting.

Zachary Wheeler is a 14-year-old First Class Scout with Troop 401 in Shingle Springs, California.