Patience and fortitude conquer all things.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Scouters must be patient. Scouting can be frustrating, even irritating, but an adult who shouts at Scouts portrays a weakness of character.
Yelling is almost always an irrational, impulsive reaction. Verbal explosions are no less inappropriate than physical ones, and can do as much harm.
Bringing a bad temper under control means recognizing what triggers a loss a temper and disarming them by something as simple as taking a few deep breaths or counting to ten. Break the chain of impulse to reaction, walk away from the situation and gain control and perspective. Trivial things are often the most upsetting. Placing them in the proper perspective takes some real effort, especially if we are tired or stressed.
Simple things like rolling a tent or cleaning a cook kit are fairly trivial things, but after twenty five years of constantly reminding Scouts of these things I can loose my temper over them. During the Sunday morning pack-up for a weekend outing I am probably tired and stressed, I have to stop and remind myself to be patient.
Many times our job is stepping back and observing. The impulse to step in and correct, instruct, or react can be overpowering especially if our own children are involved. The difference between a good Scouter and a brilliantly great Scouter lies in replacing our initial impulse to react with a more rational and studied view of the situation.