Passage From Cub Scout To Boy Scout example essay topic
During my pre adolescent years, as best as I can recall, my mother was the driving influence behind my development. She is a good person and a mother with an iron will and a strict way, and I believe that she was one of my first role models. My father played a part in my development also. He instilled in me the morals and values that I have today and I thank him for that.
Unfortunately my father passed away thirteen years ago before I had a chance to tell him that. My brother and sister were influences as well. I have always looked up to my older brother because he was so independent and free as we were growing up. He would always take time and play with me and teach me things, he was the person that actually taught me how to write my name in cursive the first time.
My sister on the other hand was always picking on me and waiting for someone to give her something, she was very selfish and mean when we were kids. I think that the contrast between the two of them gave me a good balance of what I should and should not do. They both have good hearts and are fine people today. I believe that when people are developing morals you have to have enough emotional development to feel guilty when you do something wrong, enough social development to accept our responsibility for behaving good or bad towards our group, and enough cognitive development to be able to place ourselves in someone else's shoes. My parent taught me early in life the differences between right and wrong and to treat people the way I would want to be treated. I understood these lessons at a young age because that was the way my parent taught my brother and sister.
Values are where my father had the most influence in my adolescent years. The one that he placed above all others were family values. He would tell me that having a happy family life was one of the most important things that a man could have. He was also a man that didn't practice what he preached.
He would always tell us to mind what our teachers said in school and never lie to anyone and not take something that didn't belong to us. I remember one time I took a candy bar from a store when I went shopping with my mother. I felt so guilty that after we returned home I went to my father and gave him the candy bar and told him what I did. My dad would just look at me and said", Son I'm disappointed in you, I have taught you better than that". Those words hurt me more the having to go back to that store with him and tell the manager what I did and pay him for the candy bar (which I had to do). I have never stolen or lied about anything since.
My mother told me that my cognitive development was faster that my siblings. I think that was because I had parents that learned from their mistakes and I had the benefit of being third in line, about the time when my parents had things figured it out. I learned at an early age how to put things together such as building blocks, Lincoln logs and later on model airplanes. Of course I had help at first from my brother and mother but after a while I was putting them together better than my brother. I believe that the first airplane that I put together without help was a North American P-51 Mustang and I was only six-years old.
I think that I was extremely lucky to have the benefit of being the third child but it did have its drawbacks like the hand-me-down close and toys. I thought I was in heaven when my parents would take me to the toy store to get ME a toy. Throughout my life I have been aware of rite of passage ceremonies to adulthood but I have never witnessed one personally. The one that seem to be of the greatest benefit is the Jewish Bar Mitzvah for boys and Bat Mitzvah for girls. My understanding is that a child had to accomplish certain tasks and learn a variety of things before they can have the ceremony performed. I think that when we pass through adolescence to adulthood there should be some kind of recognition to celebrate that passage.
When Cub Scouts are ready to become Boy Scouts there is a ceremony called Crossing Over, which signifies the passage from Cub Scout to Boy Scout. Cub Scouts are only allowed to go through this ceremony when they have reached a certain age and have accomplished all the tasks required of them. This is quite an ordeal for them because if the Cub Scout fails to accomplish these tasks, then they will have to wait for the next Crossing Over ceremony, usually the next year, so most will work very hard to get everything done. Lifespan development is just that and it will take a lifetime to complete. I have always felt that during your life you learn something everyday.
What you may learn can help you make decisions and guide you through your life, or what you learn may hinder your development process and the decisions you make may be unwise. As adults we all have a choice in life to do and learn the things that will make our lives easier and uncomplicated. All we have to do is get the knowledge and apply what we need to make those wise decisions. Everyone has the ability to seek out and learn about the world and to gain understanding of what they want and must do in their lives.