William's Eagle Scout rank

Having been a Boy Scouts of America / Scouting America volunteer for over a decade now (Den Leader / Cubmaster / Scoutmaster), certainly the high point has been my son earning Eagle. He was still involved with Order of the Arrow for a while after this, he's about to turn 18 and has started to transition to adulthood. I can never accurately describe what Scouts (and myself, through Scouts) has taught William. This is certainly not popular to say these days (with the inclusion of girls, while we don't have a co-ed Troop I've seen them excel in the program), but another Scoutmaster told me "Scouting is one of the last programs that turns boys into men." And this is as accurate as I could ever put it. It's given him confidence (too much at times), leadership, and a certain toughness that comes from camping in all manner of temperatures and weather that is (unfortunately) uncommon in the modern world. I'm immensely proud of him, and I am proud of my other Scouts that have earned the Eagle Scout rank. To me, it remains the best thing you can do for your kid.