Is Cubs middle class??

[Livpool]

My son is 9, soon to be 10 and we have tried out a few after school clubs for him; local community club with was too much positive mental attitude and martial arts, which became boring. He has just started Cubs locally (only been a couple of times) and has enjoyed it as they’ve done science experiments. Saw a mum friend earlier and she mentioned she wanted something for her son and suggested Cubs and she looked aghast and said I am a middle class wannabe!

I have always considered myself working class - not that I given it much thought and my dad and DH went to Cubs and Scouts and enjoyed it. A few of DS’ school friends do it too and he loves seeing his friends. I’m not going to stop him going or anything but is she right? And if so, are middle class things a bit naff?!

It isn’t middle class but the group depends on the area they are in in my experience.
The one my dc now go to does so many different paid for activities and camps and they have been in various locations, some quite rural whereas the one my eldest went too never left the building it ran from because it was in a very different area and parents didn’t necessarily have the means or desire or get their dc to a location in the middle of nowhere to go sailing for a day or whatever.

Ours takes from a mixed working class and middle class demographic, and are careful to keep costs low and activities accessible. It’s actually the nicest mix of kids across the activities we do, and all of the leaders put quite a bit of effort into ensuring that eg not owning a car isn’t a barrier.

However, I can understand why someone without kids there might think it’s middle class - almost all of the leadership is middle class and the adult discussion and friendships etc etc are very very much from that demographic.

Depends where it is. My husband is a cub leader and both my sons go to his cub group. I'd say theirs is middle class, yes. But it's in a middle class area and seems to pull from the local primary school which is firmly middle class. We don't live in that area and my kids don't go to that school so we probably lower the tone a bit!

In a different area it might be very different. Objectively it is one of the cheapest activities my three kids do by a long shot, so there is nothing about it that's fundamentally middle class. There is a bit of a royalist slant though which your friend might have been alluding to?

Wouldn’t say it’s middle class but on a side note I can’t stand people who say things like your friend did……they assume someone is trying to better themselves and the try to ridicule them for it, they are afraid they will be left behind and get jealous so they say it to try and keep people in their place

It’s like the saying ‘ it’s far from ‘xyz’ that you were born’

Your friend sounds like a bit of a dick.

I only know Girlguiding, but the largest local group is in a really deprived area and very popular. The leaders pull out all the stops for the girls and do contribute their own money as well as their free time, but girlguiding HQ isn't that supportive financially of its poorer units.
I certainly would have considered it to be fairly classless and would assume scouting is similar. It is quite beneficial for girls to become young leaders and the skills learnt is a good thing for future CVs etc, experiences that can be harder to obtain in poorer areas.

I think the notion of assigning a "class" to any activity is somewhat ridiculous, but what is wrong with wanting to be middle class? Are middle class people bad? Or is this just inverse snobbery?

Exactly, she sounds very small minded and from the sounds of her fully intends to stay that way……sending your child to cubs, the very thought of it!

Total reverse snobbery and ignorance

Absolutely, thinking you are getting "ideas above your station". I hate that whole frame of mind. A relic from when our landed gentry overlords expected the peasants to know their place. And an example of crabs pulling each other back down into the bucket - Why do people do this?

Im a Beaver leader and our colony is definitely mostly working class, we keep subs low and work hard to fundraise / seek grants to give them opportunities such as camps, trips and activities that might otherwise be inaccessible.

Other groups attract more 'middle class' families, ones in nearby villages but generally its a mix.

Cubs… middle class wannabe…. 😆🙈 this has to be the funniest thing I read today and there have been some crazy posts on MN in the last 24h 🫣😂😂😂 even children clubs are getting now divided into working class and middle class lol

Do what’s right for your child.

I don't think it's ever been middle class. My brother's attended in the 80s and we were working class.
My nephew's have all attended Cubs and Scouts in recent years (one still does). It seems to be more of a mix now. Working class and middle class but surely middle class activities are generally far more expensive?
I wouldn't worry about it as long as your DS is enjoying it.

Are you Scottish?

I am (from a very ordinary lower middle class background) and although I was a Brownie and Guide, Scouts (only for boys in the 80s/90s, remember) was rather weirdly seen as quite an 'English', MC thing - most of the boys I knew tended to join the Boys' Brigade or cadets (Army or RAF) rather than the Scouts.

Perhaps that mentality persists?

Although I'd be tempted to ask your friend what activities are okay for working class children?

What does Scottish have to do with anything?

My Bil was a scoutleader in the 90s in central Scotland. It just depends where they have organisations i guess, The Boys brigade is a church of Scotland organisation

It’s working class but wait until they are older and doing DoE. You will very quickly see how it might be considered middle class.

How about:

• clog dancing
• Chimney sweep training
• wheelie bin racing
• pick-pocket lessons

All very reasonably priced!

I get so sick of this 'class' shit. It's irrelevant, it's completely outdated and you would do well to ignore these pathetic labels. Just do things you'd enjoy and that your children would enjoy. It's not a big deal FFS.

No - we all live in Liverpool. Maybe it is inverse snobbery. I deffo don’t have ideas ‘above my station’ 😂😂. DS likes it so he will be going as long as he enjoys it.

I just didn’t think something as innocuous as cubs would make her think I was trying to be middle class. As PPs have said maybe we should go skiing 😂😂

😂

The ideas above your station thing, seems so old fashioned nowadays, I can remember my mum and aunts talking like that, a friend of my parents used to get taxis everywhere, mum was all who does she think she is lady muck😂

No, Cubs is inclusive of all classes and backgrounds.

Even if it was polo though, why would you put limitations on what your child enjoys doing because of your class background?

She is the unreasonable one.