Duke of Edinburgh bronze award is giving me the rage. Please help me get a grip or share my frustration!!

[IHaventStoppedCravingYet]

DS 14 is doing D of E this year. He was all enthusiastic and really really wanted to do it. Fast forward to now and he’s barely made any effort at all, is way behind in all activities. Hardly bothered to document the things he has done. Basically can’t be bothered. If we hadn’t spent so much money on it I wouldn’t be quite so upset but it’s really getting to me. As far as I can see he’s learnt nothing and gained nothing. I don’t know why I’m so upset think I’m just really disappointed in him.

All the best can you tell your husband from me that our local youth project is running DofE for some very disadvantaged young people. They are doing it without any prior experience and using borrowed and cobbled together equipment, but they are hiding their own against the much more privileged groups they encounter at outdoor education places. For those young people, DofE genuinely is a massive personal achievement. I really hope that people don't make those sorts of assumptions about them when they mention it to future employers.

It is bit unfair and also incredibly selfish. Why isn't it your not your husband's law firm and why isn't it a middle class daddy not a middle class mummy? Sexist on every level there....

Xenia The Poster is just stating facts. If it is her husbands firm, then that is what it is. I also suspect that on balance it is more Mums that push DC through things like DofE than Dads. That may be undesirable, but it isn't sexist to state a fact.
I agree though that they shouldn't assume MC child.

Tbh, a lot of kids I knew when I was doing DoE just lied. They got family friends to sign them off as having done things. At least he’s done some.

In the end I never got mine despite completing it all as sadly my leader was badly paralysed in a car accident and the paperwork was lost in all of the change over etc (obviously I don’t mind at all, poor bloke). I still told uni and workplaces that I got it ( I did all of the requirements after all) and nobody has ever even questioned it.

Makes me wonder if it’s actually worth it?

I don't expect the DofE to have anything to do with university entrance or jobs, but I can see for myself that doing six months' volunteering and all the organising of paperwork for the other skills has made ds grow up quite a bit and THAT will have an effect on his life overall. Yes, it's done on a system that can be 'cheated' but I don't give a shit about that, ds is doing it straight.