Of Lads and Loin Cloths

There have been a few comments over the years that have given me pause. Those comments where you think, “did I hear that right?” I try, not always successfully, to remember them. One that sticks in my memory came from Oldest Son.

“Mom, where should I keep my loin cloth?”

Hmmm…I don’t know. I don’t know the right answer. I hadn’t thought about it. So why does my son have a loin cloth? Well let me back up a bit.

There you have it; a ribbon shirt and loin cloth.

I have shared that they are all three in Boy Scouts. There are a couple different honorary camping societies in our area; Tribe of Mic-O-Say and Order of the Arrow. I have to admit I know surprisingly little about both, and the parts I do know, I don’t really understand. And the kids think my lack of understanding is somewhere between pretty funny and just stupid depending on the day.

Order of the Arrow (OA) is a national program. Scouts must have participated in a set number of camping nights and are voted in by their peers. They find out if they have been invited in at the OA Tapout Campout. Oldest and Middle Sons were tapped their third year of scouting. Youngest Son was not eligible until this year. So the OA Tapout Campout was this weekend. Middle and Youngest Sons went and had a fabulous time! Youngest Son specialized in hatchet throwing which I know is really going to pay off for him in the future. {Ok, a little sarcasm there, but it was fun to see how excited he was that he could make a hatchet stick in a target at 10 paces. I know there’s gonna be a time when this random skill comes in handy. I just hope it doesn’t involve a college party!} Middle Son spent much of the day Saturday practicing for the ceremony. Apparently its quite elaborate with members playing different roles and lots of ritual. I know very little and haven’t watched the ceremony myself. One of the very few things I don’t immerse myself in to get all the facts. I figure its a guy thing. {Just to be clear, women can get in…just not women like me:)}

So this year was Youngest Son’s turn. He was tapped at the campout and will become a full-fledged member of the Order of the Arrow after completing an

The back view of the ribbon shirt and loin cloth.

induction weekend. This will involve meditation, silence and lots of physical labor and that’s all I know. I’m very proud of all my sons for being voted into this exclusive group I know nearly nothing about. I do know they wear loin cloths for the ceremony. And this year they were allowed to wear ribbon shirts. 

Which takes me back to the random questions. This time is was from Middle Son.

“Mom, can you make me a ribbon shirt?”

I had no idea what this was, but have been thoroughly schooled in loin cloths and ribbon shirts. 

Oh, and we keep our loin cloth on the shelf right next to the underwear….it seemed like the right spot!