Physical Fitness Merit Badge

Last night N attended a church youth group meeting and worked on his Physical Fitness Merit Badge. I talked about my concerns about the requirements for this merit badge in a previous post found here.

Our previous plan had been to keep N home and work on a modified worksheet (that I had already created). But, N's merit badge counselor checked in with me during the afternoon to let me know about the changes he had made to the requirements. The counselor had rewritten much of the worksheet to accommodate N. He had eliminated the body measuring, anything about weight loss and the emphasis on obesity as a risk for cardiovascular disease. [The Boy Scout program allows for modification of merit badges based on medical needs.] The counselor wanted to know if we had any specific instructions regarding diet. I just indicated that we emphasize eating a variety of foods and staying active. I didn't want him to talk about counting calories or regimented exercise. I also didn't want him to "ban" any foods. The counselor was willing to do as I asked. I was pleased with the changes he had made and I allowed N to go to the meeting.

It went really well. The only hang-up that N seemed to have afterwards was his risk for diabetes. We have a huge genetic diabetes history. He fixated on that for a while last night. I can't take that risk and his awareness of it away. But now isn't the time, either, for him to restrict or exercise with the prevention of diabetes in mind.

I'm thrilled that N was able to participate with his peers for this merit badge. I really appreciate the extra effort that his merit badge counselor gave to help accommodate N's needs.