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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think this Beavers Leader was a bit OTT?

38 replies

DrSeuss · 21/04/2013 17:15

I should start by saying that I'm a huge fan of the Scouts and Guides and was a leader in both at various times. I have defended them in threads before as I know how much time the leaders put in, unpaid.
Today was the local St George's Day parade. I spent time this morning stitching on DS's new Beaver badges, then ironing his uniform as I knew he had to look smart. He has just returned, clutching his Diamond Jubilee badge, which DH was told by the leader was cut from his clothes using a penknife as Her Maj is no longer being jubilant. So, essentially, she was so incensed by a seven year old wearing an incorrect badge that she made him stand in the High Street while she hacked it off. He, the uniform and the leader are all unscathed but seriously?

OP posts:

MrsMangoBiscuit · 21/04/2013 17:16

You have to take them off?? wtaf?

Yes, OTT.

FriskyMare · 21/04/2013 17:18

That's awful!

goes upstairs to unpick same badge from 13yo ds uniform

Lilithmoon · 21/04/2013 17:20

That is ridiculous! Hope your DS is not upset.

Crikeyblimey · 21/04/2013 17:22

But she is still jubilant surely??? The badge is commemorate the jubilee and has the date on it. That's like having to chuck away your commemorative mugs and stuff as soon as the event is over.

Ds has several commemorative cubs badges and we haven't been told to remove them. We're any other beavers (fnar) similarly de-badged? Poor kid.

TheHerringScreams · 21/04/2013 17:23

That's ridiculous! DD2 is a Sea Scout and has a badge for that (and she would probably kill if anyone cut the badge off, the whole Sea Scout troop got to meet the Queen and she got to shake hands so she has become a militant royalist....complete opposite to the rest of the family!) and it would be crazy to take it off. I mean...seriously? OTT.

fridayfreedom · 21/04/2013 17:23

yep , bit OTT, am a Beaver leader myself and I still have mine sewn on, note to self to remove it!!
she should have just gently said that it should be taken off by the next meeting.

Picturesinthefirelight · 21/04/2013 17:25

How dare she. Presumably you had to pay for the badge and you certainly have to pay for the uniform. Even carefully unpicking something seen on it usually affects the material and makes it more likely to fray.

fridayfreedom · 21/04/2013 17:25

you get some badges which stay on all the time and the odd one or two which you wear for a year, this is one of those badges.

FriskyMare · 21/04/2013 17:26

Have just checked the scouting website and it does say the badge should only be worn until december 2012.

nextphase · 21/04/2013 17:29

Yes, OTT.
Are they going to rename the Jubilee bridge I've just driven over??!!! Don't think so.

Original poster

DrSeuss · 21/04/2013 17:34

I 'm not disputing that it should have been removed, it was the whole pen knife in the high street thing.

OP posts:

neunundneunzigluftballons · 21/04/2013 17:36

YANBU that was way OTT. Actually I am going to go a step further. Why are we still sewing on badges onto our small children's uniforms? I am a ft working mother with 3 kids, doing a masters and involved as a leader in guiding all the while trying to keep a house from falling into the depths of decrepedness at the weekends. Fastners, velcro, glue, pinned badges I actually don't care but I have no time for a needle and thread. That way your mad Beaver leader could just unpin, develcro, unfasten or whatever the badge and the swiss army knife could stay in its pocket.

SoupDragon · 21/04/2013 17:37

DSs scouts wee to.d to take it off after today.

How ever, I never actually sewed them on :o

Hacking it off with a machete pen knife sounds a bit odd though.

MrsHoarder · 21/04/2013 17:37

Well technically you are supposed to remove "event" badges after a year, but usually they would tell parents and encourage them to be moved to a blanket, not cut them off in the middle of a parade, especially for beavers.

Remembers a train ride to a big camp where I was circulating around the explorers with sewing kit and scissors and encouraging them to sort their badges out

ThingummyBob · 21/04/2013 17:37

Pen knife in the high street is a quick and very Scout-like solution to the problem of a badge which should have been removed 3.5months ago though surely

Startail · 21/04/2013 17:41

DD2's leader cut them off a couple off meetings ago too. DD has hardly any badges it did seem ridiculous!

(I was a bad Guide, I kept my silver jubilee badge pined on for years, it was pretty)

EduCated · 21/04/2013 17:41

The badge was only to be worn on uniform during 2012 Penknife was a bit OTT. I doubt the colony were in any danger of being chased down the high street by hordes of angry Royalist Scout Afficionados.

Ignores own Jubilee badge still lurking on uniform

EduCated · 21/04/2013 17:43

neunundneunzigluftballons Badge glue

EduCated · 21/04/2013 17:43

Or failing that, PVA works surprisingly well

5Foot5 · 21/04/2013 17:49

Pen knife in the high street is a quick and very Scout-like solution to the problem of a badge which should have been removed 3.5months ago though surely

But surely a more sensible solution would have been a note home at some point in the preceding 3.5 months giving parents the chance to detach the badge with some care. Unless the leader herself didn't know or had not noticed until the last minute and then over-reacted.

ChoudeBruxelles · 21/04/2013 17:53

WE still all have our jubilee badges on as they were given out in the jubilee year. Beavers love badges - why upset them by making them take it off - plus DS's is wonderwebbed on so will make a mess coming off.

foslady · 21/04/2013 18:45

Good job my dd's just gone up to guides - no one told us that!

Groovee · 21/04/2013 18:49

That is ridiculous.

teacherandguideleader · 21/04/2013 18:56

Normally things like that are only for a year and aren't supposed to be worn on official uniform afterwards. That said, some of my guides are still wearing their pink centenary shirts from 2010 (hangs head in shame).

Badges should be removed after the date - I always put mine on my camp blanket. Can't believe the beaver leader made that much fuss - I'm just grateful mine turn up to things!

BackforGood · 21/04/2013 18:59

Does seem OTT. I speak as a Leader myself who has been to our parade this afternoon. Tbh, we were just glad to see such a great turnout for the parade.
Technically, yes, it's one of those badges that was supposed to come off after 2012 was finished, but if she's that concerned about it, then surely she should have spotted it in any of the 10+ weeks she will have seen it there inbetween the start of 2013, and today?

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