Newsgroups: rec.scouting
From: gaelwolf@gws.win.net (Norman J. MacLeod)
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 01:48:51 GMT
Subject: re: your letter to mij stief-father (by Theo)
Lines: 56

Beste Mr. Daniel,

My name is Theo. I am a 12 years ol Hollandse zeeverkenner which is a
sea scout. I am visit with Norman with mij brother and mother becaus
mij mother will marry with him soon and he will be mij father. For me
he is mij papa already. I am sorry if this is bad english but I do not
write much english still.

Mij papa will not write with you becuas you ask him to not write. I
think that is not nice becaus he likes to discuss with everyone about
scouts. I ask him if I can write for you instead, and he says I have
to make this decide mijself. Becaus I think you say girls are not real
scouts by your other letters, I want to tell you what is real. 

In mij sea scouts groep there is 19 boys and 14 girls. There are too 3
man leiders and 4 woman leiders.  There are scouts groeps with only boys
and some with only girls but most have boys and girls there. We are for
each other brothers and sisters becaus a scouts groep is another kind
of family. We work together and we play together and we go on goed
trips in some weekende and in the sommer. In case you think there are
special problem, we do not sex together becaus that is not what
brothers and sisters do with their family. Boys and girls are not allow
to sleep in the same tent too.

When I read your letters I think you are telling that mij papa and
other europe scouts leiders are not saying true when they tell that
there are girls in scouts groeps. I think you can not say this if you
were not scouting in europe before. I think you have not visit europe or
ever live there becaus if you were there you will know that there are
boys and girls in many scouts groeps. 

When I go to Intercamp in Plzen this year I visit with boys and girls
from many scouts groeps from all other europe countries. I was happy
to be with mij friendjes, special my Plzen friendjes I meet last
sommer. The American boys were funny becaus they walk after all the
girls! Henk, a Leider of mij told that he think they do this becaus
there is no sister scouts for them in their troeps. I think they will
like if there was girls in their troep! 

So you must know there are girls in mij scouts groep, and they are sea
scouts like the boys. We are the same scouts and I must cook and wash
dishes the same as the girls and there is one girl that is the first in
football (you say soccer). Mij boat leider is a girl too and she is
sometime a bossy old sister but most times she is nice. I think next
year I will be boat leader if we are live in Holland becaus Annette
will be with Wilde Vaart next year.

I hope that you will belive that the europe leiders are telling true
about girls in their scouts groeps becaus that is real. America is the
only place I visit that girls and boys not are not allow to be brothers
and sisters in scouts groeps. I will like if it is change soon becaus
I think it is hard to be a real scouts family with only man leiders and
boy scouts. If we must live in America some years I will like to be in a
scouts groep like my Hollandse scouts groep.

     Theo