To think Beavers would allow...

[chocolategateaudeluxe]

...a 7-year-old child to make their own way from parent's car, through the door (5 yards from car), to Beavers Meeting!

I got told off for dropping him at the door! The reason being they might not have been there. They obviously were - the door was open, light in the hall was on, loads of cars were there etc. I'm not stupid!

I mean isn't the whole point of Beavers to support young people in their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, to promote independence?!? Didn't they use to camp in the woods, learn survival skills, make fires, handle pocket knives?

Tell me if IABU but I don't see how I could be...

Erm, because you keep going on about it: It is NOT free, at least ours isn't. Not shoving him off to Beavers to get rid of him or "free childcare" but because he wants to go!

The childcare is free. The leaders do not get paid. They volunteer. It's free. You pay subs which go towards the cost of hiring a venue and materials. You do not pay for the childcare.

Of course it is free as Kladdkaka has explained. Even with the subs (largely going on the the things they use)-where else can you send your DCs for such a cheap price?

Its a hell of a lot cheaper than a babysitter/childminder or a lot of classes children do.

Most things like that cost what £1 a week or similar?

It is cheap, very cheap. I'm not dennying that, I'm just saying is that it is not "free childcare", I have to pay. But that's not really the point.

chocolategateaudeluxe, its great that your child likes Beavers. I can confirm that leaders do their 10 hours a week free of charge. The money we charge in subs goes to pay for badges, certificates, pritt stick, glitter, marshmallows, trips to the museum, trips to the pool, insurance for the premises, membership fees for the child, rental of the premises or the gas/electricity bill. It also pays for cleaning stuff for the loo, petrol for the lawnmower, creosote for the fence, training for the leaders, new tents and tables and pots for when they do camp.

Behind the scenes, leaders and some dedicated parents shake buckets, write to grant organisations, beg from councils, organise quiz nights - ah you see I didnt count that in my 10 hours a week - all to keep subs as low as possible so that every child has the opportunity to do scouts.

They are asking you to give up 3 minutes to walk your child in. 3x12 weeks x 3 terms.

That's about 90 minutes a year. Not much really is it.

Our subs are £1 per week. £1. It's as near to "free" as you are ever likely to get, op.

Ours work out at about £1.50 a week. Extortionate, isn't it?

Not to mention that a lot of leaders are like me and often use things that they don't bother to claim for.

Yup. And there are some things that are impossible to claim for, like all the petrol burnt on Brownie shopping expeditions. I don't want to sound bitter and twisted, but when I weigh up the time I give to Brownies and the disruption to family life that the rest of the family have to put up with as a result, it does make me weep to discover that some parents regard walking their child into the hall as too big an imposition. Most, though, of our parents are delightful.

I must operate the same expenses policy as you Maryz!

Our group's subs are very low because we also run a joint fireworks event with Guides which brings in several thousand a year - run by volunteers of course and it's always the same names that help...

YABU. When my DD's were at brownies they had to be brought into the hall and not just dropped off outside. Partly because sometimes the hall was being used for another group and the Brownies were in another room . But also the leaders were volunteers and had to adhere to strict guidelines because of child protection issues.

I do think unless you have been in the position of running such a group it is impossible to appreciate the time, effort and money that go into it.

From the leaders pov time at the meeting is just a fraction of what they actually do.

Thankfully we have lots (but not enough!) of people who are willing to put in the time and effort so young people can have fun and learn vital skills!

My son likes to go into the hall on his own for cubs. I just follow at a discreet distance to make sure that he's made it OK and that there are no messages, etc, I need to hear. I have fequently had to sign forms, fill in rotas, etc; twice had to wait until enough leaders arrived; once had to rescue him and let him in as the door had swelled in the cold and he couldn't open it and the bell wasn't working (he could have hammered on the windors but, being a child, didn't think of it).

On the days when my younger one has been in the car in PJs, I have asked another parent to take him in/bring him out.

We also have to volunteer once a term. Usually DH tries to knock off early and do it, but have done it with a 3/4/5 year old in tow. Or I arrange a swap with one of the other mums, she has my little one when I help and then I have hers when she does.

I think YABU.

Ours kept it cheap because they held fund raising things -and then you get parents who can't even be bothered to do that! Ours voted to pay more in subs rather than help-I think it was sad because some people may not be able to afford it and it meant that we didn't have such a high profile in the community. I wouldn't have given them the option and carried on twisting arms.
I really think that anyone who sends a DC should manage one evening a term to help OR they should do a Christmas Fair or similar once a term. Saying they have no one to leave their DCs with is pathetic-what do you think we had to do as leaders every week?!

It isn't easy being a leader when you have young DCs as ComeintotheGarden says:
when I weigh up the time I give to Brownies and the disruption to family life that the rest of the family have to put up with as a result, it does make me weep to discover that some parents regard walking their child into the hall as too big an imposition

Luckily most parents were helpful and understood that we were there because we wanted to put something back into the community.

Yet another example of people being OTT about "safety". YANBU at all OP.

Coinky, I can only assume you haven't read past the OP? Perhaps if you read the views from the many leaders here you will see the logic behind such a decision.

I don't believe the Coinky has read the thread.

Don't get me wrong, Exoticfruits, I'm happy to give the time - I just expect a teeny weeny back from the parents in terms of making the basic effort to bring and collect the girls on time, pay the subs on time and so on. Most parents understand that but a few don't. The worst instance ever was the dad who told me (after I'd spent an hour tracking him down when he failed to collect his daughter after a church parade which fell on Mothering Sunday) that he couldn't collect his daughter because he was with his mother. Meanwhile, I was babysitting his daughter while my own daughter and mother waited for me at home. Hey ho.

I think you're getting a bit of a hard time here. I know brownies who, aged 8, walk to meetings on their own. I don't always walk my 7 and 9 year old into school. I sometimes leave them at the gate, or even a bit further away.

I think that if you are asked to take him to the door then you should respect that, but at the same time they shouldn't 'tell you off' as it wasn't, on the face of it, and unreasonable thing to do.

And my husband is a beaver leader btw.

Meant to say - the brownie leader has never minded if parents don't come in.